Pitt students value time spent abroad

Pitt professor Jim Seitz teaches his English classes a little differently while in London…. Pitt professor Jim Seitz teaches his English classes a little differently while in London. Instead of assigning readings traditionally, he sends his students on expeditions around the city and urges them to explore the areas they read about in their textbooks.

“I say ‘Read Charles Dickens, now go to this area of London, explore it [and think about] how you would write it.'”

Seitz, who is preparing to teach in London for a second time, said that participating in Pitt in London proved to be his best teaching experience.

“I think students get an education just by going,” he said.

Students who completed semesters abroad with Pitt-Developed Programs gathered in the Kurtzman Room to catch up with each other and share their experiences with prospective study-abroad students. Five tables represented the five programs developed by Pitt faculty: Pitt in London, India, China, Italy and France.

The event was part of Pitt’s International Week 2006, “Live Like the World Matters,” a collaborative celebration that coordinates events sponsored by Pitt’s departments, offices, and student and community organizations. Throughout the week, students can visit a variety of workshops such as an African drumming workshop, Indian tea sampling, a Mongolian cooking class and Samba dance lessons.

All week, students can visit a photo exhibit at the Kimbo Gallery and the Panther Habitat for Humanity’s “Habishack” in front of the William Pitt Union.

Jeff Whitehead, study abroad adviser for Pitt-Developed Programs, said that the event served as a great opportunity for students to network and learn from each other about what it is like to study abroad.

“One of the best ways for people to learn how to go abroad is to talk to people who have done it,” he said.

At the Pitt in France table, students offered their advice on how to look like you fit in while walking through Paris – wear a scarf and long pants.

They also talked to prospective students about their experience with “homestay.” A homestay arrangement is when a student lives with a French family during his study abroad time. While some prospective students expressed uneasiness about the homestay option, the experienced students agreed that it was the best way for them to study abroad.

Student Aimee Kleer expressed her positive experience with homestay and talked of her “parents” fondly, calling them mom and dad. She passed around a scrapbook while talking to other students about her homestay family, the Louvre and French cuisine.

“Take advantage of it [studying abroad] because it is the best thing you can do while you are in school,” she said.

“It gave me an opportunity to feel more French than I would on the Cathedral of Learning’s third floor.”

Rachel Ratafia-Brown, who conversed with friends at the Pitt in China table, said that her experiences abroad have been a profound part of her life. She said that she appreciates how Pitt allows its students to pursue study abroad programs.

“Pitt gets it, and it’s amazing,” she said.

Karen Studeny, a Pitt graduate student who studied in China twice, said that she liked how the Pitt-Developed programs are set up because students get the opportunity to be interactive as opposed to just touring the country.

“You can read a lot of things in books, but you don’t understand it until you see it,” she said about Tibet, where she spent her summer.

“You just got to experience it.”

Students at the Pitt in London table gave the same advice to prospective students while answering the most popular questions they had about studying abroad. Most students interested in the Pitt-Developed study abroad programs asked about classes and internships, traveling and one of their biggest concerns, money.

Crystal Christophe, who spent her summer with Pitt in Italy, said that while studying abroad can be expensive for students, it is worth it. She also encouraged students to apply for scholarships.

Nikki Cramer, who studied in Hyderabad, India, last summer, talked about her unforgettable experience of standing in front of the Taj Mahal. She said that although she is “broke” now, she would go abroad again.

At the end of the event, Kramer talked with Ashley Adams, who went on Pitt in London last semester, about her experiences and desires to go abroad again. Adams urged students considering going abroad to “just go.”

“They will learn more in that semester than in any class they’ve ever taken,” she said.