By: Josh Pontrelli, Penn Abroad Global Programs Manager Philippe Knüsel (center) and friends at Franklin Field Exploring courses outside of one’s major is a hallmark of U.S. liberal arts education. And for most exchange students, this concept is very different than their home university’s curriculum, which typically is focused on courses around the major they choose…
By: Kristyn Palmiotto, Penn Abroad Associate Director Studying and living abroad is an experience shared by all of our Penn Abroad staff, and what motivates us to assist Penn students in doing the same. Our team members have reflected on their own global experiences to share key insights, takeaways, and advice for Penn students interested…
By: Shreya Naraparaju, CAS ’22 Ian Bayer, a 2020 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences with majors in biology and political science, spent a semester abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in the Fall of 2018. We sat down with Ian last spring as he approached graduation to dive deeper into…
By: Josh Pontrelli, Penn Abroad Global Programs Manager Can one semester change your career trajectory? For Asanga Seneviratne, who graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2018, it did. Seneviratne, who participated in Exchange at Penn during the Fall 2017 semester and became involved with social enterprise businesses, began to look beyond traditional finance and…
By: Amber Leisher, Penn Abroad Global Programs Coordinator Amber (second from left) with her suitemates near the Han River in Seoul, South Korea Studying and living abroad is an experience shared by all of our Penn Abroad staff, and what motivates us to assist Penn students in doing the same. Over the spring semester, our team…
By: Josh Pontrelli, Penn Abroad Global Programs Manager Wing Sze Michelle Fung on College Green at Penn Spring break was supposed to be a time for Wing Sze Michelle Fung to take a break from her exchange studies, enjoy the Cancun sun, and meet up with old and new friends. Instead, she found herself thousands…
By: Erin Feeney, Penn Abroad Graduate Assistant For Matéo Moreau, a graduate of Sciences Po Lyon in Lyon, France, spending a year abroad was always part of his undergraduate academic plan. When it came time to select a destination, he chose Penn for its reputation of academic excellence and his own enthusiasm for living in…
By: Josh Pontrelli, Penn Abroad Global Programs Manager Study abroad is a way of life for Aleksandar Dragicevic, who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, obtained his bachelor’s degree from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, participated in an exchange semester at Penn, and completed his master’s degree at the London School of Economics. Now living…
By: Josh Pontrelli, Penn Abroad Global Programs Manager Penn Nursing’s Fagin Hall Nursing is an ever-evolving field, and Exchange at Penn past participant Greg Hext knows this first-hand. He is used to major shifts, though. Not only did he change careers from sales to nursing in his mid-20s, but he also has seen major changes in…
By: Ashley Shah, Huntsman ’21 Selene Li, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, spent a summer conducting research in Japan through the Global Research and Internship Program. During the 2020-2021 academic year, Selene is serving as a Penn Abroad Leader, which is Penn Abroad’s student advisory board focused on special projects and supporting fellow students interested in global experiences.…