The Hubbard Center hosts an annual Global Fair with over 30 representatives from a variety of semester-long study, intern, and research programs in both domestic and international locations. Similarly, this year, DePauw still held the global fair virtually on Handshake once again due to COVID-19 guidelines. The fair was hosted from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 30th. Many programs hosted 30-minute group sessions and one on one sessions.
“We have programs for every major on six of the seven continents. Students can meet with representatives to learn more about opportunities to study, intern, or conduct research abroad or in the U.S. Studies also show that students who study off-campus are more likely to secure employment after graduation. It is a great way to grow academically and professionally,” Mandy Brookins, assistant director of employer relations, said.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted students' abilities to study abroad, but DePauw still held a virtual global fair. “Most of our off-campus partners participated in some way. It was beneficial for many partners who are normally unable to travel to DePauw to meet students,” Brookins said. Abby Pyburn, a junior, said, “Last year we did have limitations in numbers of organizations, but I enjoyed that online event because they gave a lot of useful information.”
There were several options for studying off-campus such as London, Greece, Argentine University and other programs which have multiple locations and experiences to choose from. Additionally, DePauw had an extension session with the University of Canterbury (UC) in New Zealand and The University of Queensland in Australia.
The fair serves as an introduction for students who are just beginning their off-campus search process to learn about the various off-campus program opportunities based on their academic interests, available scholarships, and the application process timeline. Brookins advised students to attend as many sessions as possible. After the fair, students are encouraged to start the application. Students are still able to submit applications for next semester. The Fall 2022 deadline is December 1, 2021, and the Spring 2023 deadline is March 1, 2022.
Students who plan to study off-campus will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Exceptions will be made for medical or religious reasons in consultation with DePauw Health. However, almost all of the off-campus programs for this winter were postponed. First-year Ashley Block said, “I was interested in studying abroad in the UK this semester, but it was canceled due to COVID-19.” However, for students whose programs have been canceled, there are still opportunities for on-campus courses, internships, and independent study.
Questions about off-campus programs can be directed to Mandy Brookins, associate dean of experiential learning and director of off-campus programs: mandybrookins@depauw.edu.