Spend Your Summer Studying Abroad!

Ever since I began my college experience, one of my number one goals has been to study abroad.  When I started at Penn State, I thought that it would be really hard for me to study abroad, especially as an engineer with a jam-packed schedule.  However, I was thrilled to find out that this is not the case.  So many engineers travel abroad at Penn State each year, and this summer I was fortunate enough to be one of them!  I spent three weeks in May in Singapore, and I can easily say it has been one of the best experiences I have ever had.

Apoorva's group with their final design

I initially found out about my program at the Study Abroad fair that takes place in the HUB in October (keep an eye out for it, it’s super helpful!).  I went to the College of Engineering table, and the lovely people there told me about their many programs all over the world, including one in Singapore.  Flash forward to February, when my EDesign 100 professor Dr. Parkinson told our class about this summer course he co-teaches every year in Singapore.  I was drawn in immediately, but also a little nervous to spend a month halfway across the world with people I didn’t know.  That being said, I couldn’t be happier that I took this risk.

The program that I completed is called the Mechanical Engineering Product Design Program, and is a joint program between Penn State, Brigham Young University (BYU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).  There were about 50 students, and we were split into groups of 5 to complete a design project: to make cleaning public spaces in Singapore easier for workers, but also more sustainable.  This project was really the highlight of the class because it allowed me to get to know my group members really well, and to become really immersed in the culture of Singapore and interact directly with locals.

Nittany Lions in front of Singapore’s national mascot, the Merlion!

In addition to attending lecture and working on our projects though, we also got to have so much fun sightseeing!  We traveled all over the city, visiting places like the Botanical Gardens, Little India, and Chinatown.  We also went to the beach island called Sentosa, a worldwide music festival that was happening while we were there, and even the movies with our professor!

I really encourage everyone to try to go abroad during their time in college.  I learned so much about engineering, visited one of the most beautiful places in the world, and had so much delicious food.  I would say that the best part of my trip, though, was all the incredible people I met.  I became good friends with the other Penn Staters on my trip, but also with the BYU and NUS students, and I know that I’ll stay in touch with them for a long time.  So my advice for anyone thinking of going abroad: go for it!  Even though it can seem a little intimidating, especially as a freshman, it will be one of the most eye-opening and fun experiences you’ll have in college!

Apoorva Annamraju is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering, and is a Rover for WEPO'15!