Pre-departure
Since I came to The University of Alabama as a freshman in August of 2021 as an out-of-state student, I knew going abroad was always a dream of mine. Both of my older sisters attended The University of Kentucky and always wanted to study abroad, but never had the time or right programs. During my sophomore year, I began my research to find a program that would work for me as a double major student in two colleges. There was a lot of research looking at different locations, programs, universities, course equivalencies, and the courses being offered each semester.
Last fall, I began to get discouraged as I continued to try to find a program to study abroad for the Spring 2024 semester, but had little to no luck finding the courses I needed. I had come to the conclusion that I could travel after graduation, but getting my degree was the most important thing and studying abroad was not going to work out for me. I then stumbled across a program led by UA with the Engineering College and discovered that one of the classes offered for the May semester was something that could satisfy the requirements for one of the courses I needed. I was nervous to go with another college and scared majority of the students would be younger, but have found that over half of the students attending are not in Engineering. Not only did this program offer a course I still needed for my degree, but it was during the month of May, which allows me to prioritize internships this summer as well. I am going to 4 countries in Europe, starting in Italy and could not be more excited for this adventure ahead of me.