Study abroad info available at expo

The lobby of the Memorial Student Center was lined with colorful displays Tuesday for the fifth annual Study Abroad Expo.

Study abroad providers stood behind their tables filled with booklets and posters waiting to assist students with their questions.

Elizabeth Lee, public relations assistant for the Center for International Programs, said the expo is great chance for students to explore their options and to see if study abroad is something they would like to pursue.

"We want students to realize the opportunity is there for them and that it's actually really affordable," Lee said. "They can go anywhere in the world and get credit toward graduated and even learn a new language."

Lee said the expo is also a great chance for students already interested in study abroad to ask really specific questions about which program or which country will best suit their academic goals and personality.

Lee said not everyone who comes to the expo will study aboard, but she hopes at least they will know that the option is always available.

Students who want to visit a country not affiliated with Marshall can still study aboard and have their credits transfer back. Opal Bartzis, the field director for a nonprofit organization known as the Institute for Study Abroad, said students can get their study aboard experience at Bulter University in Indianapolis through IFSA.

Since IFSA is a third party program provider, students interested in visiting a country that Butler university offers can go through IFSA and have all their credits transfer back to Marshall. Bartzis said students can be integrated into their overseas university and are not limited by the program.

"A student can attend Trinity College (in) Dublin for a semester or a year and have the same sort of college experience and Irish degree seeking student would," Bartzis said. "They are not restricted to set list of study abroad courses. So they get the best of both worlds."

PJ Klinger, freshman history major from Wooster, Ohio, said he is planning to go to Cyprus. He said he hopes to conduct some historical research on the Knights Templar, who Klinger said spent a lot of time on the island. He said the expo was helpful for him.

"I had been trying to find study aboard information on Marshall's Web site, but it was really difficult to find," Klinger said. "So the expo was really helpful. They gave me information on places I can go, on scholarships I can get. It really helped me out a lot."

ZZ Ozturk can be contacted at ozturk1@marshall.edu.