BU Study Abroad Spring Expo Today

Students participating in the new Venice program will live and study among the historic city’s famous landmarks, like St. Mark’s Basilica. Photo courtesy of BU Study Abroad

Is your Swahili a little rusty? Maybe this is the summer to take off to Zanzibar and finally become fluent. Or perhaps you’ve decided its time to take your research about the environment and put it to use measuring the effects of climate change on Venice’s famed lagoons.

Whether you’re thinking about traveling abroad this summer or next fall, head over to the BU Study Abroad Spring Expo, happening today, Friday, February 7. This interactive forum is a one-stop shop, providing all the information you’ll need about the more than 100 study abroad programs BU offers, including how to apply.

With programs from Antigua to Zanzibar, the BU Study Abroad (BUSA) options literally run the gamut from A to Z, representing fields of study ranging from anthropology to public health to finance. Meg Lucas, Study Abroad’s senior manager of university relations and campus outreach, sees the Expo as an opportunity for students to learn the numerous ways that study abroad can enhance their University experience. “We want students to take advantage of BU’s ability to connect its students to the world,” Lucas says. “We want to encourage students to plan ahead so that they may participate in the wide array of programs, as well as the many benefits that come along with international education and its related experiences.” Today’s event, being held from noon to 3 p.m. in the GSU Link, will include Study Abroad staff, program directors, and past students who will answer questions and provide more detailed information about internships and financial aid.

Several new programs will be featured at the Expo, including a summer program in Venice, Italy, where students will get hands-on experience studying the city’s stunning lagoons and analyzing the impact of climate change on these unique ecosystems. Laura Lenci, BUSA Venice programs assistant academic director, says that much of the learning will take place outside the classroom. “Students will enjoy field trips, boat excursions, and fieldwork that uses tools for data collection and analysis,” she says. “It’s not just lectures, but real on-site research.” Students will learn how to develop present-day plans regarding climate change that will have an environmental impact in the future and in places well beyond Venice.

“Venice is a world heritage site with countless treasures,” says David Lamitie, BUSA associate director of program development. “This city is at the forefront of how to address climate change, and these issues are not just unique to Venice: the knowledge gained from this experience can be transferred to many other contexts.”

This year’s expo tagline, “Passions accepted worldwide,” emphasizes a new initiative to encourage students studying abroad to maintain their involvement with the passions and interests that they’ve developed on campus. “We hear time and time again that studying abroad does not take away from students’ time at BU, but rather, that it adds to it,” says Lucas. “We are hoping that the Spring Expo will help students realize this.”

The deadline to apply for most of the summer Study Abroad programs is Saturday, March 1, and the deadline for applications for most fall programs is two weeks later—Saturday, March 15. Both merit and needs-based financial aid is available. The application can be started on the Study Abroad website. And if you can’t make today’s Expo, check out Study Abroad’s new postcard campaign, which connects students thinking about applying with those who have recently returned from abroad.

The Study Abroad Spring Expo is today, Friday, February 7, from noon to 3 p.m. in the lower level of the George Sherman Union Link, 775 Commonwealth Ave.

Sascha Garrey can be reached at sgarrey@bu.edu.