Study Abroad

For the Prospective International Student Wondering About Comfort Zones

Posted on by Yttrium Sua
As the head mentor for the International Student Mentor Program (ISMP), I have always felt that the presence of international students on campus brings an interesting dynamic to campus life. We grew up in different environments and cultures (what Bourdieu calls habitus), and the things we do and say here sometimes challenge assumptions that students and professors make both in ...
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Hello from Hungary: The Busójárás Festival

Posted on by Hannah Li
While Claremont seems to be in a perpetual state of summer and sunshine, other parts of the world experience (believe it or not!) such things as snow and winter! Here in Hungary, where I am studying abroad this semester, we’ve been fighting off the cold with plenty of hot chocolate, mulled wine, and cozy socks, but the locals in the Hungarian village of Mohacs have a more festi...
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What Are College Summers Like?

Posted on by Madeleine Colvin
It's that time of year -- everyone seems to be anxiously applying to programs/internships/jobs/research positions/funding etc. Over Family Weekend, standing in front of my CDO Summer Experience Funding poster, I fielded tons of questions from eager parents of first-year students. I've been asked the vague questions "Where do you want to be this summer?" and "What are your s...
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For the Prospective Student Thinking About Studying Abroad

Posted on by Yttrium Sua
The issue of study abroad has been discussed over and over again on this blog, probably moreso than any other single topic. However, it really testifies to the experiences and rewards that studying abroad can bring to a student, and today, I am going to provide my two cents’ worth on the matter. I studied abroad in Kyoto, Japan, and while many students choose to study ab...
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Returning from Abroad: New Perspectives on Pomona

Posted on by Madeleine Colvin
Coming back from studying abroad has been a difficult adjustment, compounded perhaps by having returned to the States only 6 days before arriving in Claremont. For a couple weeks, I was overwhelmed -- by the sheer number of people I knew on campus, by jumping right into classes without having time to readjust or catch up with friends, by having to answer the same questions abou...
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Puerto Rico, ¿Por Favor?

Posted on by Kyra Sanborn
Ah, spring semester. The sudden influx of eager, excited students back on campus, the sweet reunion of briefly separated pals, the even sweeter reunion of students and the dining halls, and the rediscovery of one's appreciation for that glorious Claremont sunshine. Oh, wait, that happened on January 1 for me. Several athletic teams stay on campus for a large part of the holi...
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5 Classist Statements Overheard While Studying Abroad

Posted on by Sergio Rodriguez
It is no surprise that socioeconomic diversity diminishes while being abroad. Study abroad programs usually lack the financial aid that many institutions, like Pomona College, use to bring more students from different socioeconomic backgrounds on campus. A low-income student myself, I was not expecting to see as many low-income students while being abroad because I understan...
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The Ups and Downs of Re-entry

Posted on by Ashley Land
re-en·try  /ˌrēˈentrē/ noun  1. reverse culture shock or the process of an individual re-assimilating to their home country after studying abroad It's been one week since I got back from one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I have decided that I can never travel again because that was way too many hours of traveling...just kidding. Although I am still ...
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Education on a Farm: What You Can’t Learn at a Liberal Arts College

Posted on by Madeleine Colvin
Extending my post-study abroad travels through winter break means I don't get to spend the holidays at home. Luckily, I get to spend them on a 10-acre organic farm in the tropical hills of northern Thailand -- not a bad alternative. I am spending 17 days WWOOFing at Mae Mut Garden, doing volunteer work in exchange for room and board. In the past 2 weeks, I have learned so...
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Travels and Thailand

Posted on by Madeleine Colvin
In the last couple of weeks, my semester in Kunming ended, I spent a week traveling in China, and then made my way to Thailand. It has been quite a whirlwind, but I’m finally settled down on a farm in the mountains of northern Thailand for the next two weeks. My semester ended with a week of finals and a paper presentation. During the last few weeks of the semester, each...
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