Study abroad opportunities plentiful at McHenry County College
Students attending community college may benefit from the convenience of attending college close to home, but that doesn't mean they can't practice their accent in France or sample the cuisine of Spain. At MCC, students can study in Austria, China, England, Ireland or Spain for the Fall 2016 semester.
These countries are among the many Study Abroad opportunities at MCC that also includes India. A summer session in Costa Rica is also offered. Costs range in price from $3,099 to study for about a month in Costa Rica to $13,223 for a full semester in Austria. Some programs include airfare, and costs for travel and health insurance, housing, food, excursions and board can vary by country or may be included.
Through the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs, community colleges like McHenry County College offer their students the chance to spend several weeks studying in a foreign country for as little as $3,000. This summer, three MCC students have been awarded $1,000 study abroad scholarships. One will participate in the Costa Rica program and two will participate in the France program.
According to Lindsay Carson, chair of international studies at MCC, students studying abroad will have field trips, partake in overnight excursions, write papers, create presentations, and interact with fellow study-abroad students from all over the world.
"It's a much more immersive experience than a lecture class," said Lindsay Carson, chair of international studies at MCC, adding the classes are taught in English, so traveling students don't need to be fluent to take advantage of the program.
Eric Alvarado, of Harvard and Caitlin O'Donoghue of Marengo will travel to Dijon, France while MCC graduate Rebecca Lewkowicz of Huntley heads down to Costa Rica.
"This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I wanted to take advantage of," said Alvarado, who will take French 151 in France and plans to study architecture when he transfers to a university next year. "I want to get to know the French lifestyle firsthand - their viewpoints, schools, teaching methods … but also politics, religion, ideology … and of course the food. Food is a huge part of any culture and a big medium to socialize."
Alvarado and O'Donoghue will have plenty of opportunity to try new foods - their program includes three-day stays in Paris and Provence as well as their "home base" at the University of Burgundy.
Lewkowicz, who is a junior studying physical therapy at Northern Illinois University, returned to MCC just to take summer classes in Costa Rica and improve her Spanish.
All of the students will earn seven credits - four for their language course and three for culture classes that include social and behavior science, and/or humanities electives.
Students do not have to be currently attending MCC to enroll in the Study Abroad program. The prerequisite is 12-15 college credits from any college.
The fall 2016 application deadline is May 15. For more information, visit www.mchenry.edu/internationalstudies or contact Lindsay Carson at lcarson@mchenry.edu.