The World is Yours

The fall semester has just drawn to a close on Barnard’s campus, so many students are saying goodbye to Barnard’s campus for about a month, until classes begin again in January. However, for many Barnard students (197, to be exact!), the end of finals is probably about when they’ll begin their countdown for studying abroad. In Spring 2020, students are going everywhere--from New Zealand and China to France and even Antarctica. Eight Barnard juniors who are studying abroad are talking about their study abroad plans. Oh, the places you, future Barnard student, could go! (I’m sorry, I had to throw in the Dr. Seuss reference.)

Lan Nguyen (she/her)

Major: Economics & Social History

Program: University of Oxford--Mansfield College (Oxford, U.K.)

Why Oxford?: My mentor (Barnard ‘14) studied abroad at Mansfield and said (as all people who studied abroad do) that it was the best year of her life and everyone I spoke to who did the year abroad at Oxford said the same thing. I’m also really interested in imperial and colonial history, so I knew Oxford would be the perfect place to learn more about those topics.

What’s your favorite thing about being abroad?: The academic system is very different from our system, but the perk is that you get to dictate your own schedule almost entirely. The balance of rigorous academia and a really fun social life can be difficult, but it’s incredible. If I had to pick my favorite thing here, it would be how friendly, inviting, and inclusive everyone I’ve met is. Mansfield and other societies (Oxford-speak for clubs) host a lot of events that make meeting new people really easy.

Interested in hearing more about the Oxford program? Lan will be writing a post about her year-long experience abroad! Check the Barnard blog later in the year to read about her time in the U.K.!

Lucy Danger

Major: Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Minor: Education

Program: University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia)

Why University of Sydney?: I wanted to experience a part of the world that is difficult to access from the U.S. and that I might not get a chance to experience otherwise!

What are you most looking forward to?: I’m most looking forward to feeling and experiencing everything a new city has to offer--in particular, I’m looking forward to exploring the Sydney music scene!

Joanna Miral (she/her)

Major: English

Program: King’s College London (London, U.K.)

Why King’s College London?: I was looking at other programs in the U.K. (and honestly, I was thinking first about where I would get in), but King’s has a flexible program where I can take classes across the Arts and Humanities section, kind of like Barnard. I also wanted to be in London because it’s a big city that I’ve always enjoyed when I visited, with lots of things to do. As a global hub, I can also easily travel to other European cities.

What are you most looking forward to?: I’m most excited about meeting new people and seeing new things! 

Therese Bonoan (she/her)

Major: Anthropology

Minor: Psychology

Program: Ateneo de Manila University (Manila, Philippines)

Why Ateneo de Manila University?: Matriculating at Ateneo de Manila--the university where both my grandfather and my father studied--is a way for me to live and truly immerse myself in the country of my ancestry. I have never had the opportunity to critically engage with Philippine history and culture in an academic environment, and I see this program as integral to channeling a part of my identity that I have yet to explore fully.

What are you most looking forward to?: I am looking forward to forming connections with Filipino university students and speaking Filipino.

Sarah Seidman (she/her)

Major: Computer Science

Minor: Spanish and Latin American Cultures

Program: New York University Madrid (Madrid, Spain)

Why NYU Madrid?: I’ve been learning Spanish since middle school and I’m excited to use it while abroad. I have also heard that Madrid is a beautiful city and a place with a lot of history (editorial note: at least one of the people she’s heard that from is me, her annoying history major roommate). In particular, I’ve learned about the Jewish and Muslim history of Spain and I’m looking forward to seeing the historical sites.

What are you most looking forward to?: One of the classes I’m signed up for is called Techniques of Translation, which I’m very excited about. We’re going to study American and Spanish movie scripts to see the differences between them. I’m also excited to travel around Spain and maybe visit some other nearby countries.

Carolyn Kelly (they/them)

Major: Political Science

Program: SIT: Development, Gender, and Social Change (Kathmandu, Nepal)

Why SIT?: I knew I wanted to go somewhere in Asia and that I wanted to do a program which related to my major and interests. This one satisfied all that criteria and was Barnard-approved!

What are you most looking forward to?: I am excited to go live in another place and really have an adventure. I like trying new things and getting outside of my comfort zone, so I am excited to be challenged and learn and grow in a completely different place. My program also has a rural home stay and a trekking component which I’m really excited for. I’m also excited to experience a new natural environment!

Cassandra Clifford (she/her)

Major: History with a concentration in Rights, Law, and the State

Minor: Italian (probably!)

Program: New York University Florence (Florence, Italy)

Why NYU Florence?: The classes offered at NYU Florence seemed very interesting to me--some classes I’m taking next semester include a seminar on social media activism and a history course on immigration in Italy and the U.S.--and worked really well with what I study at Barnard. Since NYU is an American university just a short subway ride away, I also anticipate that most friends I make abroad will be students I can easily stay in touch with back in New York. It’s also been a major dream for me and my mom to explore Italy together--when she visits me, we’ll finally be able to do it!

What are you most looking forward to?: I took an Italian cinema class during the fall semester, so I’ve gotten to see some of the most beautiful sights in Italy through film. I’m so excited to finally get to see them in person! Also looking forward to (in no particular order) gelato, pizza, espresso, and pasta. 

Jenna Zucker (she/her or they/them)

Major: Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies

Program: Women and Gender Studies in Europe - Carleton College (Multi-city: Utrecht and Amsterdam [Netherlands], Berlin [Germany], Krakow [Poland], Prague and Olomouc [Czech Republic])

Why Carleton College in Europe?: I wanted a rigorous women and gender studies curriculum that would compare to Barnard, and after a lot of searching, this was it! It took me to many places which I loved and I wanted to be a part of a small cohort of people.

What was your favorite thing about being abroad?: I met amazing friends and explored the cities we were in through a feminist and queer perspective. In Berlin, we all had homestays with women who were connected to one another through love and friendship. My favorite lecture was with the first Roma woman to get a PhD who does incredible research and advocacy work at Auschwitz. We also visited the first gender studies library in the Czech Republic, which was founded under communism, and met a dissident and feminist Jiřina Šiklová, who showed us the codes she used to communicate with people in the West during communism. 

Interested in hearing more about Jenna’s experience abroad? Jenna has written a blog post about her fall semester--read “A Very Feminist Study Abroad” here!

Want to learn more about studying abroad at Barnard? We have a bunch of study abroad articles on the Bold Beautiful Barnard Blog: Annie’s post on the lesser-beaten study abroad paths or my earlier post about studying abroad during the summer are good places to start!