By MICHELLE THOMPSON
Converged Media Manager
Studying abroad can be one of the most enriching and rewarding parts of an educational experience.
Piedmont College is offering students an opportunity to study in Peru, Scotland, Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic for the 2016 Maymester course.
But why should a student go on a Maymester?
Not all students have travelled outside of the United States. Some have not been outside of Georgia. Therefore, organizing an international trip could be daunting for students who haven’t traveled before.
The advantages of a maymester are that it includes two academic courses (six credit hours), and a student will travel with a group with a pre-determined itinerary.
The students can feel comfortable as they travel abroad to a different country for the first time.
Maymesters will also give students the chance to gain confidence as they gain new experiences.
According to Chair of Department of Mathematics and Associate Dean and Professor of English Stephanie Almagno, a maymester is a short, seven to 14 day, study abroad course.
Almagno said, “While maymester travel enhances course outcomes and students’ global awareness, another important benefit is the bond that develops among trip participants and between the faculty and students.”
According to Almagno, traveling can change a person.
“It can present a person with new ideas, possibilities, problems to solve, sights to take in and new food to eat,” said Almagno. “Traveling feeds our imagination and creativity. It makes us ready to face new experiences and situations even in our lives back home.”
Junior fine arts major Josh McGowan went to Paris, France for a maymester back in 2014.
“You can learn a lot from within a pages of a book, you can learn more from experience, and having the opportunity to experience an entirely different culture and see historical sites that you see in movies, plays and books,” McGowan said. “It is an amazing experience to anyone who wanted to go, and it shouldn’t be passed out.”
Business graduate student, Brock Bennett, went to Ireland for a maymester in 2014.
Bennett said he believes that students should go on a maymester whether they need the credit hours or not.
Bennett said, “Just go, there is no reason for you not to. You have so much fun, you bond with people, and you just experience a whole another country. It is an eye opening experience. It just makes you realize how proud you should be to where you live at.”
According to Almagno, the cost of an international trip is $4,598. This includes airfare, hotel, meals and admission to all events.
According to maymester flyers, the first deposit, $50, is due October 1, 2015.
Almagno said, “You will never regret taking this experience. Rather, you will regret not doing it.”
The courses for each maymester are listed below:
• Peru – Multicultural Classroom and Selected Topics in Anthropology
• Scotland – Scottish Folk Music and Celtic Christianity in Scotland
• Spain – Distinctive Art Topics: Madrid and Special Topics in English: Madrid
• Germany and Czech Republic – International Business and Business Travel-Abroad