Christin Gallion studied abroad at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy for one semester. When asked why she decided to go abroad, Christin says, "My sister was studying abroad in London and I got the chance to visit her; after that I experience, I knew that I wanted to spend an extended amount of time studying in another country. Being immersed in another country is an amazing experience and I did not want to graduate from college without it!"
Studying abroad has its glamorous side, but Christin admits "it definitely has its challenges as well. Although traveling is fun, living in a different country is very difficult. Learning the differences in cultural and social norms is imperative as not to offend anyone and also just to be safe! Also, not being completely fluent in the language made daily chores like grocery shopping and eating out pretty uncomfortable, but all in all these challenges helped me to grow personally and I am very appreciative for them."However, at the same time, Christin learned from her challenges and grew personally, academically and professionally because she says, "Studying abroad has made me much more aware, both culturally and socially. The experience challenges you and teaches you how to deal with different types of people and many different situations. Many of my professors were foreign which made for a unique academic experience and I got to see the differences in business every day in my daily interactions."
To Christin, her favorite part of studying abroad was traveling to different countries on weekend excursions, trying different foods, seeing historical landmarks, and meeting different people from across the globe. She says "Rome is one of the most toured cities in the world and so I was always surrounded by people from across the globe!" Rome made her feel comfortable as a student of color there. Christin says, "Race isn't as big of an issue in foreign countries as it is in America and never did I have a negative experience because of race. If anything, it was a great conversation starter because people often asked me what my nationality was!"
After her own personal experience studying abroad as a minority, Christin says, "I would definitely recommend more minority students study abroad. Many minorities do not take advantage of study abroad because they think it is too expensive or just not an option for them, but it is! Applying for a study abroad program was surprisingly easy and studying abroad is relatively inexpensive. There are tons of schools that offer many different courses and it cost about the same as a normal semester at your home school! ANYONE, and I mean anyone, can study abroad!"
Christin Gallion studied abroad at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy for one semester. When asked why she decided to go abroad, Christin says, "My sister was studying abroad in London and I got the chance to visit her; after that I experience, I knew that I wanted to spend an extended amount of time studying in another country. Being immersed in another country is an amazing experience and I did not want to graduate from college without it!"
de for a unique academic experience and I got to see the differences in business every day in my daily interactions."