On Monday, July 7, 91 First-Year Semester Abroad (FYSA) students moved into their on-campus accommodations for the Global @ Home portion of their study abroad experience. For the next three weeks, the students will prepare for their fall semester of travel balanced with classwork.
FYSA provides the unique opportunity for first-year students to begin their college experience in either Oxford, England (FYSA @ Oxford), or based out of Georgia Tech-Europe (FYSA @ GTE). This year, 99 students will participate in the program.
“Georgia Tech is proud to empower students in their interest in studying abroad, learning about other cultures, and gaining a global perspective from the very beginning of their time at the Institute,” said Vicki Birchfield, executive director of FYSA. “In doing so, students learn valuable skills that set them up for success when they return to campus. This program creates solid foundations and gives students a strong network for support when they return to Tech in the spring.”
The Global @ Home programming officially kicked off on Wednesday, July 9, with a welcome luncheon for participating students.
Both FYSA programs will leave for their initial destinations in August.
FYSA @ Oxford
Around 50 FYSA students will travel to Oxford in early August, where they’ll take two three-week courses that will wrap up mid-September.
They then begin a travel period and start their “Around Europe” courses, where they continue to take courses while visiting cities across Europe. Past cohorts have visited cities in Germany, Austria, Italy, and many other countries.
The travel period concludes at the end of October, when students return to the United States to complete any remaining course requirements. In total, students take 12-13 credits during their time abroad.
For Riley Parker, a second-year industrial engineering major and member of the FYSA @ Oxford cohort last year, the time abroad brought new lifelong friends and a changed perspective upon her return to Atlanta.
“One of the most impactful parts of the program was the opportunity to form such strong connections with people I probably would have never met had I not done this program. These people I met in FYSA to this day are still my best friends in college,” said Parker. “Traveling through Europe also opened my eyes to the sheer cultural diversity that exists, and I was shocked, realizing how much more there is to learn about other countries outside of a textbook. There’s no better learning opportunity than immersing yourself in a new environment like that.”
FYSA @ GTE
FYSA students who will spend their semester abroad based out of the Georgia Tech-Europe campus in Metz, France, arrive around mid-August, where they’ll stay on campus and take courses through December.
Throughout the semester, students take 12-15 credit hours of courses that will count toward their degree.
On the weekends, students go on faculty-led excursions to Metz and surrounding regions. By the end of their time in the program, students will plan their own travel with fellow students.
Past students in the FYSA @ GTE program have planned excursions to cities in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
For Ameer Salim, a second-year mechanical engineering major in the FYSA @ GTE cohort last year, his experience was essential to spark the love of travel that he now carries with him.
“I have no regrets about my decision to enroll in the program. I have formed very strong friendships as well as incredible memories in my time spent abroad across 22 countries,” said Salim. “I developed a serious passion for travel, learning more about not only the world but also myself along the way from the independence I was afforded. Taking advantage of this opportunity to experience such a thing is truly a must.”
Returning to Tech
All FYSA students return to Georgia Tech in the spring semester to take classes on the Atlanta campus with the rest of the first-year class. Students get the opportunity to live in the residence halls with their FYSA cohorts, meaning they continue to build the same community from their previous semester abroad as they adjust to a full semester on Tech’s campus.
FYSA is a program jointly managed by the Office of International Education and the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success. To learn more about FYSA, visit their website.