Choose Your Own Adventure

Each semester, about 60 students embark on a new adventure – heading off to foreign lands and explore unfamiliar cultures. They travel the world, eat new foods, see new places, and experience new things. The Office of Study Abroad serves as a campus resource to encourage students to pursue new ways of learning by studying throughout the globe.

Azusa Pacific offers several places for students to study, including Oxford University, which gives students the opportunity for one-on-one tutoring with some of Oxford’s best professors; the Dominican Republic, where students study and live with host families; and even Australia.

“I gained additional perspective of the world,” said James Bell ‘07, an Oxford Program alumnus. “Studying British literature, history, and Shakespeare in a place where it has been studied for 1,000 years makes the experience of living there part of the education.”

Studying abroad impacts many students outside the norm. In fact, some students return home not knowing how to share their experience with peers, while others go into reverse culture shock, looking for explanations of the American culture. Some realize the conflict between their experiences and their life at APU and seek to bring them together.

Dan Waite, the new director of the Office of Study Abroad, encourages students to talk about their experiences and find a common ground that many do not have with their friends who have yet to study abroad.

“You are the salt in terms of influencing a bigger perspective of the world and America,” Waite said. “Take on that role; don’t be ashamed. Bring the perspective that APU needs.”

For more information on study abroad programs, check out website or call (626) 815-2110.

Posted: September 27, 2005