travel
Travel advice for the worldly scholar; discover the best places to study abroad, the best art and history museums, and beyond.
Stuck in the Endless Cycle of Normality
From a young age, I had various pictures of what post-secondary life would look like for me, and it usually included the surreal expectations of not taking a gap year and only going to University. When I look back at the way my mind worked back then (we're thinking like 10-year-old Bekah), I was quite a princess. I turned my nose up at the thought of taking a year off because I saw it as being lazy, and I was convinced that I'd never want to go back to school if I postponed it. Also, I believed that if you went to college, you were less intelligent than people who went to university, and obviously I could never be viewed as less intelligent than anybody, so I just had to attend university. These perspectives were inspired by what my classmates and teachers said, and I felt pressured to conform to do what everyone else approved of. Clearly, my self-expectations shifted at some point during my adolescence and I decided that taking time off between high school and post-secondary was actually ideal for me, as I was still unsure of what I wanted to pursue. I also realized that although university could be attainable for me, I don't think that it would be ideal as I like more hands-on learning, and I know that my marks would be better in college. Why am I telling you this boring life story? Because since I was able to change this outlook on post-secondary and take the filter off of my eyes that classmates and teachers put on me, I am now currently doing something that I am extremely passionate about and loving every minute of it.
By Bekah Boudreau6 years ago in Education
Nqobile
On the day that Nqobile left for college, her mother hugged her. Nqobile’s mother—a petite woman with a stern face, aimed straight at her daughter’s petite body, with arms wide open. It was an awkward but special moment; awkward because her mother had never hugged her before, but special because Nqobile knew that such an affectionate gesture from her mother was preciously rare. Most Swazi adults in her family do not hug, they simply prefer to shake hands.
By Linda Mayaba6 years ago in Education
Part I: Is There Still an American Dream?
I had just finished my first year of graduate school in a small, college town in Southeast Alabama. I had never lived in such a small town and I was more than ready to leave. My brother, a fresh graduate of college, was also looking for adventure. Under the guise that I was working on a research project that would ultimately contribute to my thesis, we were off. There was a loose itinerary and a somewhat guided premise: to interview young adults, living in cities, on their thoughts regarding the American Dream; particularly in regards to homeownership. My hypothesis was that the dream was dead and I was ready to be proven right or wrong, or both. I figured the answer would vary region to region but why?
By Lizzie Boyle6 years ago in Education
Teaching English Overseas
It’s something many people desire, to pick up and go. To embark on an adventure, and leave our mundane lives behind. The idea brings pleasure, but the reality is that most of us need some sort of assurance in order to fully be able to embrace the situation for what it is. Whether it be a travel companion, the blessing of loved ones, or attending school, we tend to long for the adventure with a safety net. For me, that safety net was a job. To be honest, I had recently completed my Bachelor's in interdisciplinary studies, and had a direction but nothing to back it.
By Muzzy Johnson6 years ago in Education
Going on a Year Abroad in High School - Pros and Cons
It is a well-known fact that you can go abroad for a year in university or college and, in fact, a lot of people do do that. What, as I find, not everybody knows, is that you can also go on a year abroad in high school. This used to just work if your school had a sort of partner school somewhere else and someone was willing to swap places with you, which is why these years are often called exchange years. However, nowadays, you can just go on your own or more commonly with the help of one of many companies out there who offer such programmes.
By Barbara Sinz6 years ago in Education
Studying Abroad the Right Way. Top Story - January 2018.
As a college student, it's likely that you'll encounter many professors, advisors, etc. who will tell you to study abroad. Maybe you've seen flyers around your campus, or your friends' Instagram posts in front of the Eiffel Tower or a different location every weekend and thought it looked like a lot of fun. It is, and you should absolutely do it. In the fall of 2016, I left for England. I had lived in Connecticut my entire life. And not the part of Connecticut that's so close to New York you can spend the afternoon in the city and be home for dinner, but the middle, so unidentifiable that there isn't even a stereotype to use to make fun of it. So when I got to England it was immediately different, but it didn't take long to settle in. In England you get your own room in a flat, which means you don't have a roommate but you share a kitchen and bathroom with three to five other people, no matter the gender. So already, you've got people to pass the time with, and if you want your alone time, you've got it. I went over with two of my friends, so I was lucky enough to have them too. I was only supposed to stay for one semester, which had me flying back home two days before classes in Connecticut started, but a month in, I was already messaging my home university about extending it further. And after the spring term was almost finished, I was messaging about staying for one last semester in the fall. During my nearly year and a half abroad, I met lots of Americans who chose to use their time abroad in different ways. Some of them found other like-minded Americans and traveled every weekend, and some of them fell in with the Brits and got to know the ins and outs of their temporary home a little bit better. Some people even chose to do a little of both. No matter how you choose to spend your time abroad, there are some things I'd like to share that you will not find on a school brochure.
By Adam Sandone6 years ago in Education
The Disney College Program
I would like to start this off by saying that the picture is not one that I have taken. Despite being blessed with the opportunity to work in the Magic Kingdom (cool right?) I don't think I took a single landscape oriented photo... Credits to the photo go to the Disney World website.
By Ashley Rick6 years ago in Education