Studying Abroad Adventures, Educational and Fun!

One of the greatest experiences of my college career has been studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain. Studying Spanish was something I knew I wanted to continue while at Penn State and revisiting Spain was high on my priority list. I decided to minor in Spanish and make studying abroad part of my plan. Penn State has endless possibilities when it comes to studying abroad. There are so many countries and programs to choose from and there are multiple fairs and information sessions so you can find the right fit for you. 

I decided to take classes for my minor while abroad, however, you are more than welcome to take engineering classes abroad as well. This choice usually is made depending on whether you want to learn in another language other than English and/or possibly stay at school an extra semester. I chose to study abroad for my Spanish minor so I took classes about the culture and history of Spain in Spanish and will be staying an extra at Penn State. I know not everyone is thrilled about having to pay for an extra semester, but to me the experience was priceless.

If you are not sure if studying abroad is for you, there are plenty of opportunities to get more information, but be prepared to start researching and applying a year before you want to go. Don't rush and really take your time when deciding if this is the right choice for you. I started planning Fall of my sophomore year, my application was due the spring semester, and I went Fall of my junior year. Although I had second thoughts about leaving all of my friends behind for three months, there is no better time to go abroad and travel than right now! 

While abroad, I was able to visit many other cities in southern Spain on weekend and day trips. I was also able to go to Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, England, and Scotland! Being abroad was the most challenging and exciting experience of my entire life and I am a changed person after going. Not only did I become fluent in Spanish while there but I now know I can conquer any challenge! 

Megan Barr is a super-senior in Industrial Engineering and the Spirit Lead for WEPO'13!  To read more about Megan visit her WEPO Profile: http://raindancer45.wix.com/ladyengineers#!megan-barr/c1vyr

Getting Around- Helpful tips

Penn State may seem like a huge campus because well, it is, but thanks to all of the transportation it makes everything just a short ride away. I know during your first week or so you may be nervous to get on the bus since you don’t know which to take or where it goes, but I am here to help!

The two main buses you will most likely use are the Blue Loop and the White Loop. They run opposite directions around campus and don’t take the same exact route. The White Loop goes counter-clockwise and the Blue Loop, clockwise. I could never remember which way they ran until I thought of a little trick. Curtin Road is the one road that both of the buses run on together. Curtin Road is also the one that most freshmen will live on since it houses both West Halls and East Halls. So use this road for reference: when standing at the Creamery for instance you will take the White to West or the Blue, Back to East. Ok so the Blue Loop one doesn’t work as well, but just remember, when on Curtin, White to West. This will help you know which direction the bus goes in.

There are also many other buses that will take you around campus free of charge (It will say this on the bus) or you can pay to go off campus. If you need groceries for example, you can take the Vairo Blvd. or V bus to Walmart or Target. The M bus or Nittany Mall bus takes you to; you guessed it, the Nittany Mall. Or if you want to go skiing, the B bus or Boalsburg bus takes you to Tussey Mountain Ski Lodge. These buses cost $1.50, with exact change, and can be very useful when living in the dorms or when having a car is not an option.

Too make things super easy, there is a CATA app for your iPhone and Android. When you download it, you can choose which bus you want to take and it will tell you, via GPS, where the bus is around campus. This is very useful is deciding whether you should wait for a bus, when to leave your dorm, or whether you should just walk.

For more information on all the bus routes and to download the app you can check out:

http://www.catabus.com/

Megan Barr is a senior in Industrial Engineering. This summer she is working at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. She is a mentor for WEPO 2012.