Blog Archives

  • Blog

Find a Job, Find Yourself

By: Noah Katcher, Huntsman ’19 Noah abroad in Germany Semester Abroad – Goethe University Frankfurt Unlike many who spend a semester abroad, when I traveled to Frankfurt am Main, Germany in January of 2017, I knew I wouldn’t be returning to Penn until the fall semester began at the end of August. Anyone who knows me…

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Bad Bread, Good Memories

By: Elana Burack, CAS ’19 Semester Abroad – CASA Sevilla One of my favorite experiences in Seville was connecting with the Jewish community there. At the end of my semester, as a way to give back to the community that had welcomed me with open arms for every holiday and Shabbat service, I wanted to…

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Embracing Tradition at Cambridge

By: Katie Fink, CAS ’19 Katie (far left) with fellow students at the University of Cambridge, Pembroke College. Semester Abroad University of Cambridge, Pembroke College  One of the most remarkable elements of my time abroad at Cambridge was the continued embrace and preservation of tradition. When I first stepped foot in Pembroke College, I was…

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Traveling Beyond Tourism

By: Lydia Chen, Wharton ’19 Semester Abroad – CASA Sevilla, Spain Originally appeared in the Walnut Street Journal on February 7, 2019. As a graduating senior, my number one piece of advice to all underclassmen is to take advantage of as many global opportunities in college as possible. Whether that’s going to Antarctica with the…

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UKExit and a Divided Government

By: Spencer Kersh, CAS ’20 and Samuel Roth, Wharton ’20 Samuel Roth (Left) and Spencer Kersh (Right) with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Semester Abroad – London The day after the historic vote in which Prime Minister Theresa May’s UKExit deal was rejected by 230 votes—the largest defeat for a sitting government in the history…

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The “Authentic” Seville

By: Elana Burack, CAS ’19 Elana (left) with her homestay mom, Carmen, in Spain CASA Sevilla – Spain Throughout my time in Seville, Spain last fall, I thought a lot about what it means to be a traveler versus a tourist–to experience the culture rather than just photograph the popular highlights. I think an apt…

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Reflecting on the PGS Experience

By: Pearl Subramanian, CAS ’19 Pearl (right) in China during the PGS travel component Environmental Health Issues and Global Implications Travel to China With a little more than 100 days left until graduation, now is around the time when reflecting upon my past four years at the University of Pennsylvania seems like the apt thing…

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Please Talk About Politics & Religion

By: Ryan Bender, CAS ’21 GRIP Intern – Buenos Aires, Argentina There’s a bit of household American wisdom that goes something like this: “Friends who want to stay friends don’t discuss religion or politics.” While it is polite to be mindful of others’ sensitivities, this wouldn’t get you very far in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentines…

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Unity in Diversity

By: Cristina Pogorevici, Wharton ’21 GRIP Intern, The OPEN Classroom – Hong Kong  As a Romanian student in the Wharton School of Business, I’m always a minority: East-European, First Generation, coming from an ex-communist country. As an intern at The OPEN Classroom in Hong Kong I was aware that once again I was going to feel…

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Happy Traveling!

By: Benjamin Weimer, CAS ’19 Rome, Italy GRIP Intern, U.S. State Department – Rome, Italy Here are five tips for making the most of your time abroad: Wander the Streets – This summer when I first got to Rome, I didn’t know a single person in the city. Instead of staying in my apartment, I…