Lander's Study Abroad Day

“We’ve got a little of everything and something for everybody,” says Professor Lauren Corbitt when describing Lander University’s Study Abroad Program. Study Abroad Day is just around the corner, scheduled for Monday, February 23, and Corbitt, Spanish instructor and director of Study Abroad, is thrilled. “This is our first year. I would love to make it a yearly thing,” she says in an interview.

Corbitt explained that the goal of Study Abroad Day is “to raise campus awareness of Lander’s study abroad programs” because she wholeheartedly believes that “Study Abroad is for everyone.” She continued, “It doesn't matter what your major is. It doesn’t matter, you know, where your life trajectory takes you. I think that everybody can benefit from having that experience outside of the South Carolina bubble.”

The director believed that this program is not only a fun experience, but it can also grow people’s character. “Study Abroad is an area where you can push the boundaries of your comfort zone,” she states. She notes that independence, problem-solving abilities, and many other helpful life skills are gained from studying outside of the U.S. Professor Corbitt adds, “It challenges you in a way that you may not be challenged… here at home.” Recalling her own experiences of college trips to Mexico and Japan, she says, “Being able to share that with other students and facilitate… to be able to send other students abroad to have those just really cool experiences abroad is just a treat for me. It’s just a pleasure.”

This pleasure in sharing the program and the desire to get the word out to the Lander student body led Professor Corbitt to create Study Abroad Day. At this function, students will get to learn everything they need to know about the program and meet many who are involved. This will allow them to ask in-depth questions and figure out where they should travel.

The director says, “We’re going to have a number of events for that day. The main one is going to be a tabling event in the Cultural Center Commons.” This event will go on from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Professor Corbitt continues, “Our office is going to have a table. Students who have recently been away on studies abroad are going to have a table to tell other people about their experiences.”

Lauren Corbitt says, “We’re going to have tables from some of our study abroad providers.” Providers such as University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) and Academic Studies Abroad (ASA) will be among them. These third-party providers help students travel to destinations where Lander does not have connections. Professor Corbitt is especially excited about Lander’s partnership with a new provider called Atlantis. She explains, “They’re a new program that we’re aiming at our nursing majors for medical shadowing in the summers.” This new relationship will open the door for so many students in the medical field, allowing them to use their skills in different countries and in exotic settings.

Corbitt continues, “We’re also going to have a visit from the University of Sterling. The University of Winchester… unfortunately [is] not able to come, but we’re working on organizing a virtual drop-in for any students that want information about attending Winchester.” Professor Corbitt and the rest of the Study Abroad team are pulling out all the stops to make this day successful and insightful, ensuring that everyone leaves happy.

The director finishes, saying, “Career services will have a table where they are going to talk about how to talk about study abroad in a job interview or how to put it on a resume, how to leverage this experience into direct job benefits.” The benefits of the program just keep coming, which is why Professor Corbitt is such an advocate for Study Abroad.

To learn more, visit the Lander’s Study Abroad Website, and keep an eye out for flyers around school. Stay tuned and see you at Study Abroad Day.