Week 1
¡Hola y bienvenides! I’m Esther, and though I didn’t officially “graduate,” I call myself an alumna of ICADS. I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad for six weeks in Costa Rica and can’t wait to tell you all about it.
I’m an incoming junior at Scripps College, one of the “sister colleges” of the five undergraduate Claremont Colleges in Los Angeles County. Students can pursue academic and non-academic opportunities at any campus, like doing research, grabbing a coffee in between classes, and of course, studying abroad!
Luckily, Pitzer College, another Claremont college located right next to Scripps, sends students to not only study abroad through ICADS during the school year but also the summer.
I knew I wanted to study abroad sometime during college, but after I made my tentative four-year course plan, my advisor and I concluded that it will be difficult for me to graduate within four years, fulfill my pre-health requirements, have a social life, and study abroad for one semester.
Feeling a little bummed, I randomly remembered that my advisor sent links to resources and opportunities among the 20+ emails I received that day.
From there, I would discover the Pitzer Costa Rica Summer Health program, learn more about the country that once wasn’t so familiar through a seminar course, study abroad, and even be on track to graduate a semester early!
So no, discovering this opportunity wasn’t entirely an accident. But the opportunities perfect for you are out there—it will work out. Send that email to the professor listed on that website, go to office hours even if they aren’t your professor, and submit that application to study abroad!
Nos vemos,
Esther
