Hometown Hawkeye Andrew Broderick talks about his path to the UI Physical Therapy program and how his study abroad experience as an undergraduate student confirmed his interest in physical therapy as a career.

What does study abroad sound like? Yes, it’s a very odd question… but it has become a rather relevant one in my study abroad experience so far. Let me explain.

I identify as an Asian American, specifically of East Indian descent, and I have felt that too much of my focus was on the academic side of college. Most of the Indians I know participated in few to no activities outside of the classroom because we have been raised in a culture that stresses the importance of academics far more than our non-academic interests. Many of my family members and friends of Indian descent love to tell me about their time in college but when I ask them what clubs or events they participated in I too often get blank stares.

I’m currently beginning my third month living in Prague, and it has truly flown by. I can remember my first night here perfectly – I was jet-lagged, scared, homesick, and just entirely overwhelmed. Now, only about seven weeks later, I am adjusted, happy, and Prague feels like home.

When I told my study abroad advisor I wanted to go to Uruguay for my semester abroad, she told me, “I hope you’re prepared to eat a lot of beef.” As a vegetarian, this probably should have been a red flag.

During the months of March and April, Tokyo undergoes a transformation. Neighborhoods, rivers, parks, and temples become shrouded in white and pink. Cherry blossom season is, perhaps, a bit like our Christmas—a time in which people forget time, to soak in the sakura for a few blissful and carefree hours.

Prior to my arrival in Morocco, I was aware that there would be significant differences between the classical Arabic that I had been studying at Iowa and the colloquial Arabic used in everyday exchanges in my host country.

I am so grateful that I am spending my semester in New South Wales, Australia, through SIT’s Environmental Action and Sustainability study abroad program. During my time here, I have learned from leading environmentalists, listened to impactful activists, been exposed to the indigenous Aboriginal culture, and experienced indescribable moments of connection with Earth.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa, Anna Patty (B.A. journalism, Spanish '03) had never been on an airplane. That all changed when she decided to study abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica, for an entire academic year. Nearly twenty years after her study abroad experience, Patty is now owner of Be The Good Consulting, LLC, a marketing, public relations, and fundraising firm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Patty recently took time to reflect on how her study abroad experience has shaped her career.

While it’s more fun to show pictures of all the adventures I’m having, the reality of study abroad is that it is, in fact, study abroad.

Anna Kroeger is witnessing preparations for Day Zero first-hand as a UI student studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Kroeger, a student in the Tippie College of Business, is spending the Spring 2018 semester at the University of Cape Town through IES Abroad.

As soon as we’d settled into our school routine, it was time to shake things up with a seven-day tour of central Morocco. Rabat is fairly far north, so “south” encompasses most of the country. It was our first excursion, and first time leaving the home-base of the Rabat Medina neighborhood.