It seems almost cliché to say it, but this really was an experience you can’t teach in the classroom. Nothing could prepare us for what we faced on the ground once we got to China; we needed to be flexible and open-minded about the culture and our projects. The world is so interconnected now that international experience, particularly one like this where we needed to step out of our comfort zones, is invaluable.

If there’s somewhere in the world you want to go, you can be sure there’s a program that will take you there. Yes, there are advantages to studying abroad through CCI programs, but if your heart is set on a destination we don’t offer, then follow your heart. Consider the following:

• Kent State offers dozens of short-term faculty-led study abroad courses through departments all over campus. Some require specific majors or prerequisites, but many do not. These still offer the ease of Kent State registration and Kent State credits without having to mess with transient processes (transferring study abroad credits from another university).

• Kent State has exchange agreements with universities all over the world. Attending a university that Kent State works with directly makes the transient credit processes relatively easy.

• Most other American universities and a variety of independent study abroad companies offer an almost infinite number of additional options. If you can’t find what you’re looking for through any of the previous options, you’ll probably find it here.

• The study abroad staff in the Office of Global Education can help you sort through all these possibilities and find the right one for you. And if you can’t make up your mind, there’s always Semester at Sea, which can take you to as many as four continents in one semester. For more information on all these options, visit the Office of Global Education here: http://www.kent.edu/studyabroad/index.cfm