When Jaime Ramos ‘18 arrived at Elizabethtown College to take the position of Study Abroad Advisor, he had a specific vision in mind for student meetings.
“When I think of study abroad at Etown, I want someone to walk into my office and I don’t want them to have places to choose from, but many options,” Ramos said. “I wanted to give students a lot of options and upgrade our portfolios.”
Ramos has worked to accomplish that goal, adding programs in Botswana, Brazil, Columbia, Croatia, Peru, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Italy. He also added six new programs in Spain and two new programs in Japan.
“Statistically, most students study abroad in Europe because there’s this idea of the European experience and because they speak English,” he said. “What we had wasn’t enough. There’s already two students in Croatia right now, and those students are really happy where they are.”
Ramos has personal experience with studying abroad in Spain. While at Etown as a student, he chose to study abroad for five months in Valladolid, Spain. Ramos went on the suggestion of his advisor, who suggested that the small town was most suitable for his goals.
“I didn’t want a big city experience, and [Valladolid] was the coolest place to be in my opinion,” he said. “While I was there I went to 10 countries and really maximized my time. I had to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Now, Ramos is helping students at Etown to choose the best study abroad program for them. Japanese, Spanish and international business majors all have to study abroad, so expanding programs is essential. Even if students aren’t in a major that requires it, Ramos emphasizes the benefits of going abroad.
“Nothing compares to the people you meet abroad,” he said. “Whether it’s people living normal lives or other Americans taking the journey with you, it’s just a different breed of people.”
If students aren’t comfortable taking a whole semester or year away from the comfort of their dorm rooms, faculty-led options are a good option.
“Not everyone can nor should everyone do a whole semester abroad,” Ramos said. “Faculty led is much more organized, and you don’t have to worry about a schedule,”
Study abroad peer advisor Layla Murphy participated in a faculty-led study abroad opportunity, and the experience left her wanting more.
“I wanted to see what the world was like and experience the culture surrounding things I’ve learned about,” she said. “For the trip I went on in England, the trip was based on British LIterature so we were able to go to Jane Austen’s house, Shakespeare’s birthplace and the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Seeing their influence and then being in the places that they were was really exciting.”
Murphy went on a trip with several other Etown students, and said that the planned itinerary still gave her freedom to experience culture outside of America, like movie theaters.
“You can make the most of your trip or don’t, it’s all up to you because you have time to navigate your experience,” she said. “Make the most of your time because it’s likely the first or only time you’re going to be there.”
The expanded study abroad programs are accessible to all Etown students. Students often take core classes while abroad, and most programs are Etown tuition only.
Murphy said that scholarships are also available, and raising money locally or through a GoFundMe.
There are study abroad peer mentors, like Murphy, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Thursdays in Nicarry 118. Ramos can be found in Nicarry 117, and can be reached by email (ramosj@etown.edu) to schedule an appointment.
