While students prepare to arrive at Georgia Tech to begin the fall semester, 96 first-year students are preparing to start their first semester of college abroad in Oxford, England, or Metz, France, through the First-Year Semester Abroad (FYSA) program.
Students in FYSA participate in courses at Tech during the late summer session, which starts in July and runs for three weeks. After that, they prepare to leave the country and take their first full semester of classes abroad beginning in August. There are two FYSA programs: FYSA @ Oxford operates out of Oxford, England, and FYSA @ Georgia Tech-Europe operates out of Metz, France.
“FYSA allows students who have a keen interest in studying abroad, learning about other cultures and attaining global perspectives to prioritize these goals from their very first semester of college,” said Professor Vicki Birchfield, executive director of FYSA. “And in doing so, they are set up for success upon their return to Tech in the spring as the time abroad creates strong bonds with other like-minded students with whom they have shared a unique start to the university experience.
FYSA’s goal is to accelerate the journey to a mindset of global engagement, a primary goal in Georgia Tech’s strategic plan for all students. In addition to assisting students in understanding global cultures, students operate in small cohorts of up to 50 students, allowing close interactions with their peers and faculty.
“What I loved most about the FYSA Program was becoming really great friends with people from all different states, backgrounds, and even other countries!” said Juliette Holzworth, a 2023 FYSA-Oxford participant. “The comradery and friendships that are created are simply unmatched.”
FYSA @ Oxford
FYSA students traveling to Oxford arrive in early August, where they’ll take two three-week courses that will wrap up mid-September.
They then start their ‘Around Europe’ courses and begin a travel period, where they continue to take courses while visiting cities across Europe. Past cohorts have gone to Frankfurt, Vienna, Venice, and beyond.
The travel period concludes at the end of October, at which time students return to the United States and wrap up any remaining course requirements. In total, students take 12-13 credits during their time abroad.
FYSA @ GT-E
FYSA students who will spend their semester abroad based out of the Georgia Tech-Europe campus arrive around mid-August, where they’ll stay on campus taking courses through December.
During the week throughout the semester, students will take 12-15 credit hours of courses that will count toward their degree.
On the weekends, students will go on faculty-led excursions in Metz and surrounding regions. By the end of their time in the program, students will plan their own travel with fellow students.
Returning to Tech
All FYSA students return to Georgia Tech and take classes on the main campus with the rest of the first-year class for the spring semester. Students get the opportunity to live in the dorms with their FYSA cohorts, though, meaning that they still enjoy the same community from their previous semester abroad as they acclimate to a full semester on Tech’s campus.
To learn more about FYSA, visit their website.
