It's a big world out there and many students have yet to see it. Study abroad programs at Penn State provide students with the opportunity to experience a culture different from their own and live in another country for a semester.

Michel Flores (senior-physics) will be studying at Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France this year.

Flores said he knows how to speak a decent amount of French but is still nervous because all of his classes will be taught in the language.

However, not all students will need to pick up a second language. Many study abroad programs are taught in English.

"I want to travel and take an opportunity I might not have later on," Flores said. "I think it's something everyone should do."

John Keller, director of International Education Programs and Studies, said with today's globalized workforce, a semester abroad is a necessary component of a student's education regardless of his or her major.

"I call it transformative education because it changes peoples' lives," Keller said. "It makes young people rethink how they relate to the world."

Penn State offers 130 programs in more than 40 countries. More programs are available through organizations such as the Institute for the International Education for Students and the Council on International Educational Exchange.

Keller said roughly 1,000 Penn State students coming from all majors study abroad each year.

Many students have misperceptions about study abroad, Keller said. They think they can't fit it into their major or they will have to stay an extra semester.

Another misperception about study abroad is that it will be too expensive, Keller said. Scholarships and financial aid are available that can help the costs of going abroad. Existing scholarships and aid will carry over for a semester abroad.

"The biggest secret is to start thinking and planning as a freshman," Keller said.

Ashilee Schreiber (senior-art history) said she knew she always wanted to study abroad. Schreiber, who studied abroad last spring in Rome through Temple University, said she didn't feel homesick once during her entire stay in Italy.

"Rome has so much history," she said. "There's so much to see everywhere you go."

Schreiber said she looked forward to going to class everyday. Her art history courses often took lectures to the sites of art and architecture masterpieces, such as the Colosseum.

"You learn a lot about the culture," she said. "Italians and their attitude on life is so great. It is so much more laid back and different from American life."

One day Schreiber hopes to live abroad, possibly in Italy. She continues to keep in touch with the many friends she made during the experience. Anyone who is thinking about going abroad should start planning as soon as possible, she said.

Schreiber said students who are uncertain about study abroad should visit with one of the peer advisers that work out of the Office of International Programs in Boucke Building.

All of the peer advisers have studied abroad and can be helpful to students who are uncertain about going to live in another country for a semester.

"Everyone should consider studying abroad," Schreiber said. "When in your life will you get this chance again?"