Students from around the world looking to broaden their horizons and temporarily escape their home country have the chance to do so with Education Abroad at Texas A&M.
Although COVID-19 has affected international travel with changing regulations, Education Abroad remains active in planning study abroad trips and exchange programs, both for foreign exchange students looking to come to A&M and for Aggies hoping to travel elsewhere. The programs offered by Education Abroad have benefits both professionally and personally for college students, promoting personal skills that are highly valued in the workplace. Education Abroad assists students in a variety of ways to find the right programs and funding. 
Biomedical engineering sophomore Eleri Holmes, who studied abroad at A&M last fall coming from Wales, said although she felt her time in Aggieland was challenging, it helped her grow as a person.
“Back home, I would work on my own, whereas in one of the classes I found it a bit harder, someone on my table helped me in study sessions,” Holmes said. “I’ve been able to adapt to different situations, and I’ve gotten a lot better at changing how I work now.”
Holmes said she now says “Howdy” at restaurants, although it took her a while to get used to saying it in public. She said her friends in Wales still do not believe that people actually use the word “Howdy” in America.
University studies architecture senior Abigail Hill recently returned to A&M after attending a winter travel abroad program in Italy and said the trip helped her better connect with her major. 
“For my classes, they’re very art focused,” Hill said. “Being able to see that art in real life kinda made me understand it better. Being able to see, for example, ‘The Birth of Venus,’ it was breathtaking. Seeing paintings I had only seen in pictures before in real life was shocking in the best way.”
The skills students learn while abroad have benefits both academically and professionally, according to a study performed by the Institute of International Education. Education Abroad has been found to have a positive influence on job skills that are sought after in most fields, including intercultural skills, tolerance for ambiguity and confidence, according to the study.
Trisha Winkle, program coordinator at Education Abroad, said there are many scholarship opportunities for students traveling abroad that can be used to pay for the trip.
“There is the university-wide scholarship that has two application deadlines per year,” Winkle said. “We also have some other additional internal scholarships, maybe in [a student’s] specific college or department. There are also a ton of external scholarships that students can look into as well, and they can find those listed on our website under ‘Funding.’” 
Any scholarships a student receives for their education at A&M will also apply to their semester abroad, Winkle said. 
Some study abroad programs are major specific, meaning the applicant must be in a specific major to be considered for the program, Winkle said. There are all-major programs that any student can apply for, including exchange programs where credits taken abroad are transferred back to A&M, she said.
Each program has its own application instructions, and not all of them will be exactly the same, Winkle said. Some programs have rolling admission, Winkle said, meaning candidates are evaluated as soon as their applications are submitted, while others have a set deadline where all candidates will be evaluated after the deadline. After students submit their application, Education Abroad faculty will determine eligibility. Winkle said if all requirements are met, students may be selected for the program.
Studying abroad is a well-rounded experience which allows students to grow academically and network with professionals, Winkle said.  
“Ultimately, we think there is a lot of personal growth and development that happens with students while abroad. All of those things tend to look great for your resume,” Winkle said. 

To apply for an Education Abroad program, visit https://abroad.tamu.edu/.