For many students, going abroad means getting to see new places, meeting new people and perhaps helping out a sagging GPA. However, what many students aren’t prepared for is the way the experience impacts their lives.
Whether it is the breath-taking views that you do not get in the townhouses or the range of accents beyond that of New Jersey and New York, for many, going abroad changes a person’s perspective.
“It opens your eyes to different things, people and places,” said Taylor Murphy ’08, who spent her fall semester in London.
Murphy loved the change of atmosphere from that of Fairfield and the ability to meet people from different walks of life.
“It shows you a glimpse of what your life is going to be like after college,” she said.
Chris Pisarkiewicz ’08, who spent last semester in Florence, Italy, agreed with Murphy that his experience abroad really opened his eyes to a different lifestyle.
“It was really good to see how different cultures work,” he said.
Not only did he enjoy the surroundings and the opportunity to meet new people, but also thought that the lifestyle was healthier and a good switch from that of the United States.
Although happy about their decisions to go abroad, both Murphy and Pisarkiewicz are glad to be back at Fairfield.
“I really miss [London], but I don’t think that I could have stayed for a whole year,” said Murphy. “I would have missed my friends and family too much, but it really shows you how small Fairfield is to the rest of the world.”
This realization of a “bigger world” was also something that Caitlin Moroney ’08 took away from her semester in Brisbane, Australia. Moroney said that being abroad made her view life differently and see how big the world really is.
“It made me think about going and living elsewhere, rather than in the U.S. I now want to go out and see the world,” said Moroney.
Being back in the U.S. has been hard for Moroney, offering a different kind of culture shock.
“It is hard to adjust to Fairfield. It is almost like freshman year all over again,” she said. “I value all that I’ve gotten out of Fairfield, but now I just see it more as a college.”
Kelly Reynolds ’08 also studied with Moroney in Australia last semester.
“It was the most amazing time of my life,” she said. “I enjoyed living in another country, and I met some amazing people and wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
Reynolds does agree with Moroney, though, that the transition back to suburban Connecticut was a tough one.
“Coming back to Fairfield was an adjustment,” she said. “Even though I had been a student here for two years before I left for Australia, it was like I was attending a new school for the first time.”
Like Moroney and Reynolds, Rachel Hamilton ’08, who spent only a winter session in Florence, Italy, is also dealing with the changes of being back at Fairfield.
“Our country [U.S.] is just so new and so young compare to the history that they have,” she said. “The classes were much more independent, and it is different to be able to see slides of art and then go see the actual piece in person.”
Hamilton decided not to go abroad for a semester because she is a double major. However, even though she only experienced Italy for a short time, she is glad that she was able to go.
“I wish I was still there, it just opened my eyes to see how small Fairfield is in a global sense.”
One aspect that almost all the abroad students agreed on, is that the school work at Fairfield is much more challenging than what they experienced overseas.
“Classes are so much harder here at Fairfield. Teachers weren’t as hands on like they are here, which is what I like about Fairfield,” said Moroney. “The professors here want us to succeed.”
“Academics were a lot easier over there,” agreed Pisarkiewicz. “They weren’t as challenging, so it is hard to get back into them here.”
Overall the reviews from study abroad students have been positive and have opened them up to a broader world. However, none of them have forgotten what Fairfield has taught them, nor what their experience meant to them.
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