Where will your heart take you? The Sacred Heart Office of Global Education offers programs for students to study abroad all over the world.
The study abroad applications for both the winter two-week program in Dingle, Ireland and the spring 2024 semester are now open.
Students can study abroad in Dingle, Ireland at Sacred Heart’s campus, John Cabot University in Rome, Italy, The University of Notre Dame in Australia and many other locations across the world.
“To be eligible for study abroad, students should be in good academic and disciplinary standing. Certain programs may have specific requirements in terms of GPA, pre-requisites, etc., so it’s important to pay attention to that,” said Renee Cassidy Pang, the Director of the Office of Global Education. “I recommend that students do as much research as possible prior to applying to study abroad.”
Studying abroad allows you to be taken out of your comfort zone.
“Not only do students have opportunities to grow academically and professionally in a new environment and culture, but they often see growth overall as an individual, resulting in increased confidence, flexibility and a desire to explore further,” said Pang.
Students that study abroad are able to travel easily and explore other parts of the world.
“I had the opportunity to travel around Western Australia, the east coast of Australia to Sydney and Melbourne, Phuket, Thailand, and Bali, Indonesia,” said Global Ambassador and senior Mary Durant. “My favorite trip was definitely Thailand and Bali, two places I never in my life imagined travelling to, but now I hope to travel back to someday.”
The Vatican pictured in Rome, Italy, where SHU students have the opportunity to study abroad at John Cabot University.
Source: Isabel Haglund, Features Editor
Senior Mary Durant pictured with a kangaroo while studying abroad in Australia.
Source: Mary Durant, SHU Student
Ryan McNeill, a senior at Sacred Heart is currently studying abroad in Rome, Italy for the semester.
“I love how there is always something to do. There’s incredible history, amazing food, live music,” said McNeill. “It is an incredible city with more things to do than time on your hands.”
While studying abroad, students can take classes for their major as well as general education classes. Students abroad can also become involved on campus.
“The school gave the study abroad students many opportunities to get involved on campus and meet students who didn’t live in the dorms,” said Durant. “We played intramural sports and could join clubs. I joined the intramural volleyball team.”
Students also have the opportunity to meet students their age from all over the world.
“Studying abroad allowed me to talk to native and local students who shared their experiences with me and allowed me to understand the local culture better, as I was able to talk to students my age and compare the differences between American education to other countries,” said senior Lucia Catino.
“I have made some lasting friendships with people from all over the world and I am forever grateful I decided to take the leap and study abroad,” said Durant.
Being abroad allows students to be taken out of their comfort zone and grow as individuals.
“I love how it really gets you out of your comfort zone and the adjustment period has been more exciting than difficult,” said McNeill. “So much of everyday life is new and fresh. It’s like being a freshman again but in good way. Travel is all about exposing yourself to the unknown and being abroad allows me to do that every single day.”
Students who are interested in studying abroad should visit the Office of Global Education in the main academic building across from 63’s, talk to a global ambassador or visit the website. https://www.sacredheart.edu/study-abroad.
The applications for the winter program in Dingle, Ireland are due Sept. 15 and the spring 2024 semester applications are due Oct. 1.
