Adventure awaits beyond Greencastle, and each semester, DePauw students seek that different setting for academic and learning experiences, domestically and overseas. In fact, almost 90 percent of students graduate with credit from off-campus experiences.
Students are taking classes, interning with reputable companies and traveling, all the while learning how to adjust to a new home for roughly four months.
We asked some students who are currently off campus to share their experiences and challenges in their respective "foreign lands" away from DePauw as their semesters come to an end.
Study Abroad in Ireland
By Erin Komornik
As a senior at DePauw, my year has started off uniquely compared to many of my peers, with a semester abroad at the University of Limerick (UL) in Ireland. Reflecting back over the past nine weeks, I'm nearly at a loss for words to the experiences I've had so far: the change in curriculum, the meeting and making of new friends and the travel-all of it has had a huge influence on my time spent away from DePauw.
Compared to DePauw (and probably most of the universities in the U.S.), Ireland is relaxed about almost everything, including their academic curriculum. Purchasing textbooks is hardly recommended because everything is in the library. At DePauw, it is common to have three to four exams throughout the semester, plus essays and lab reports strewn in between. UL gives midterms and finals, which unfortunately means that my entire grade relies on just a couple of assignments. While I appreciate the fill-every-hour-of-every-day mentality of DePauw, I have also successfully adapted to a slower-paced lifestyle of the Irish with much enthusiasm.
Traveling alone to a country and setting out to make new friends felt like my first-year all over again. Orientation was a great way to meet other international students, but we weren't integrated as well into the Irish student community. The second and third year classes that I'm attending are full of Irish students that have known each other for the duration of their college experience, so instead of muscling our way into their circles, international students formed groups of our own. This has probably been the most difficult and upsetting part of my time abroad. And yet, I have learned a valuable lesson: it is hard to integrate yourself into a foreign culture. It is an idea that I hadn't considered until traveling abroad, and for that reason, I think everyone should experience being an international student at least once. It gives you a greater understanding and appreciation for the international students at your home university.
My time spent traveling on the weekends has made up for the free time I have during the week. Many people study abroad and travel to as many countries as possible before returning home, but I think there is something unique about being able to see every corner of the country you call home for four months.
Off-Campus Experience in New York City
By Sophie Hoffman
This semester I went from Greencastle to New York City. I am in the New York Art Program, where students from different universities across the country get internships in the arts and live in Manhattan together.
My primary internship is at a production company called Break Thru Films, founded by two directors, Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern. Break Thru is currently working on a TV show called "The Fashion Fund," where ten designers from across the country compete in a Vogue Fashion Competition.
My job at the company has mostly been to transcribe interviews, pull music for the show and also shoot videos for special events. But on my second day, I worked with the film crew to shoot a fashion show. I ran around backstage getting designers, models and makeup artists to sign release forms.
I couldn't believe the models. Seeing a model in person is nothing like seeing one in a photo. They are not the intimidating beautiful figures we see in magazines. They are emaciated and pale. You can see every bone in their back, each rib and each bone in their spine. There is a major transformation that happens from the time they get there to after the makeup artists get through with them. They become unrecognizable: their lips are fuller, their eyebrows are hairier, their eyes are lined and wide in addition to their hair being teased to the max.
All in all, the preparation took about five hours. When it was time for the show, you could literally feel the excitement radiating off the designers and the stylists. As an intern, you get access and insight into some amazing experiences, but you also get the jobs that no want wants and no one holds your hand during them. You're expected to just figure it out. On one particular errand, I was sent to Conde Nast, the printing press of Vogue. When I got there, security wouldn't let me go up. I called Break Thru and they told me it was time to get my "New York attitude on." I had to transition into complete diva until they let me deliver my disk on the eighth floor.
New York is such a fast paced place that you are forced to just jump in head first and do the best you can. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and sometimes I feel like I can't wait to go back to Greencastle.
Internship experience in Cape Town, South Africa
By Caleb Haydock
Having never been out of the country before, I must say there is certainly an adjustment period that comes along with the territory.
I felt the jet lag tremendously when I arrived in Cape Town and had a hard time sleeping for the first three weeks. Transportation was another obstacle at the beginning, but it quickly got better. Really. after the first couple of weeks though, all of the challenges, if any, are trumped by all of the constant fun you are having. I have become a certified scuba diver, a hiking fanatic and even a spelunker (a person who explores caves for fun) during my time in South Africa. I have been able to try my hand at virtually anything you can imagine all the while intertwining it with my love for video and film.
The internship I have is a nice outlet for these sorts of things too. One day I'll be shooting a surfing competition and the next day I'll be filming a DJ convention. Both connect to certain cultures that are new to me.
Even though my transportation to work is no longer a challenge, it's still a highlight. As I take the train, and then a mini-bus each day, I see countless stories unfold right in front of me. I'm sure this happens in every country, but I would argue most stories aren't as colorful as ones in Cape Town.
The biggest highlight I have left is a Mozambique trip coming up in the next couple of days. Overall though, it has been a positive experience and I look forward to it continuing for another month.