Students browse the selection of study abroad programs. Photo courtesy of Ally Duvak.

This Tuesday, Sept. 14, the Study Abroad Poster Fair returned to Seegers Union. The exciting event filled the Great Room with colorful displays, interest lists full of names and stories of trips away – even during the past year and a half. In 2022, the Office of Global Education hopes that Muhlenberg students will travel as normal: there are 141 programs to choose from. 

In summer 2022, students have the opportunity to participate in Muhlenberg’s first ever domestic Muhlenberg Integrated Learning Abroad (MILA) course, This Land Is Your Land: The Potomac. After taking the class in the spring semester, the professors and students of this class will travel on a 15 day intensive experience throughout the territory adjacent to the Potomac River in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. The program is led by Linda Miller of the creative writing department, Matthew. R. Moore, Ph.D., of the theatre department, and Jeremy Alden Teissere, Ph. D., chair of the neuroscience department. Students are encouraged to reach out to any of the aforementioned professors if they are interested in participating in the inaugural trip of this new program.

Some students did get to travel abroad in spite of COVID-19 restrictions. Melanie Poulos ‘22 described her recent trip to Italy as “incredible… [but] too short.” According to Poulos, COVID-19 regulations were “a little strict” but were also already in flux this summer. The 10 p.m. curfew and indoor and outdoor mask mandates she saw upon arrival were altered to a midnight curfew and more flexible mask wearing by the time she departed. 

For students planning to travel in the future, Poulos advises to “stay open-minded” and added, “Don’t be afraid… obviously when I got there I was a little nervous, but everyone was so nice.” 

Michelle Rifkin ‘13, administrative assistant for the Office of Global Education, shared similar sentiments, expressing her excitement at the return of the program. “We did virtual meetings last year… but it’s just not the same… it’s so nice to be back… to have these pamphlets with over 140 programs in them… it’s so different being in person versus being on a screen.” 

it’s so nice to be back… to have these pamphlets with over 140 programs in them… it’s so different being in person versus being on a screen.” 

– Michelle Rifkin ’13

There was a bit of a gap in the amount of students studying abroad over the past couple of semesters, but the program is seeing an influx of new arrivals. “Many of our student representatives have graduated, which we’re really sad about,” Rifkin commented. “But we’re excited to see new students getting involved.” 

As far as advice for those new students, Rifkin, like Poulos, advises to be open-minded and flexible. “Countries and programs are changing their policies all the time – just like they are at Muhlenberg.” But if you have some fears about going through with a semester of international travel, Rifkin says, “Don’t rule it out… or do a MILA. Go away for a few weeks, see if you like it, and then maybe you’ll spend a semester or summer abroad like I did.”

getting sent home was heartbreaking. As someone who has always wanted to travel it felt unreal that all of a sudden everyone had to go back home.

– Caylyn Downey ’22

And if the worst case scenario comes around and another shutdown occurs, Rifkin says not to worry. According to her, students from Muhlenberg who were forced to return home completed their credits online successfully. 

But if this situation does arise, the travel experience of studying abroad would be unfortunately irreparable. Caylyn Downey ‘22 is one of many students who were boarding a plane back home not long after arrival in their abroad destination in March 2020. Downey recalls that “getting sent home was heartbreaking. As someone who has always wanted to travel it felt unreal that all of a sudden everyone had to go back home. I felt pulled away from the one experience I would never get back. Adjusting to online classes was not easy. I was stuck in a depressive mindset with no motivation to do work. This really affected what I got out of the classes I took. I feel like I didn’t learn as much as I hoped.” 

In this new pandemic era, the risk of a potential shutdown is an unavoidable one. Though the Office of Global Education hopes for a typical return to studying abroad, the future, as usual, is uncertain and unprecedented.

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