This summer, Elizabethtown College students and faculty proved that studying abroad isn’t limited to just the school year.

Dozens of Etown students made good use of their three months off by studying abroad in professor-led programs.

One such program was the Regional Writers of England class with visiting assistant professor of English Dr. Tara Moore.

“We went to Great Britain and we were traveling, so we were in three different cities…Oxford, then Bath, then London,” Moore said.

In this course, students read myths about legendary British monarch King Arthur, as well as works by famous English authors William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens before jetting off to Europe after commencement.

“We went to the Globe Theatre in London, which is not the original Globe but it’s a reconstruction and had a tour in the morning and…saw a play there, and…we all learned a lot. We were all really engaged, and the students were just howling with laughter,” Moore said.

Other highlights included climbing the Glastonbury Tor up to the remaining tower of St. Michael’s Cathedral.

“The students were all on board with that. They made it up to the top and they were so exhilarated. It felt like an accomplishment, and it was beautiful,” Moore said.

Several other professors took students to learn outside of Etown’s classrooms this summer, including professor of engineering and physics Dr. Kurt DeGoede. His trip allowed five students the opportunity to visit Gambia to do research on a developing country.

“The Gambia program actually wasn’t credit-bearing at all, and that’s because those students were doing research to then come back and do their Honors in the Discipline or Capstone course,” Study Abroad Advisor Megan Bell said of the trip.

Elsewhere, other Etown students opted for more independence with self-led study abroad endeavors. Senior Brian Sylvestri had the opportunity to visit Sorrento, Italy this summer

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“I always wanted to travel the world, and I especially wanted to go to Italy,” he said. “Going into school, I always looked for a good study abroad program, and I saw that Etown had a good one, so it was always a goal of mine.”

Sophomores Jocelyn Kosik and Chrissy Revitt also studied abroad in Europe, but they set their sights on Athens, Greece instead.

“One weekend we went to an island called Agita, another we traveled to the Peloponnese and went on a wine tour,” Kosik said.

“Everything there is just so fresh and delicious!” Revitt said.

But why only study abroad for a few weeks instead of a whole semester?

“I play lacrosse here, so I didn’t want to go in the spring because I would miss that,” junior Madison George, who studied abroad in Australia, said. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to study abroad at all. I didn’t even know summer was a thing, but Megan [Bell] said I could do that, so it gave me another chance to do it.”

Bell said she sees another upside, “It’s a good opportunity for students that are looking for a first taste of an international experience, and maybe that will inspire them to go on and do a semester. We’ve seen that a couple times.”

The learning didn’t stop in the classroom. Etown students had a chance to grow not only as students, but as people while studying abroad.

“I definitely found like my own sense of independence. It was kind of like college but you’re also in a different country where everyone didn’t speak the same language you did, so it felt like more of an accomplishment,” Kosik said.

“By the end of our session, there were other tours that actually asked us for directions, and we were able to give them directions,” Revitt added.

George said he agrees. “I live in an apartment, so it’s kind of funny. I’ll say ‘Oh guys, let’s cook something up!’ and they’re like ‘No, we’re going to Jay’s,’ and I was like ‘I don’t want to go to Jay’s, I want to cook!’ because I did it for a month straight.”

But is it really worth giving up three weeks of your summertime freedom to take a class or two?

The answer from those that did it is a unanimous and unequivocal “yes.”

“I would encourage other people to study abroad because I think college is a unique time in your life where you can have those opportunities,” senior Kristin Wilkinson, who studied abroad in Italy, said.

“Yes, 100%. I absolutely loved it and had the best time of my life,” Sylvestri agreed.

If your only experience with a different country this summer was watching Spider-Man: Far From Home, don’t worry! You too can join the ever-increasing ranks of those choosing to study abroad.

“The study abroad fair is Wednesday, September 25 at 10 a.m. in the BSC!” Bell said.

So take flight, Etown! You may find a new nest halfway around the world.