Days after Doane students ace finals and leave the Crete campus for the summer, a small group will rendezvous at the airport a few days later for their official start to summer. Destination: London, England.
English faculty members Melanie Ritzenthaler and Brad Johnson will lead the study abroad trip, “Literature in London” from May 20-29. Two days of travel bookend eight days of exploration and cultural immersion in London.
Making the trip even sweeter is a $10,000 travel credit from Education First, the travel provider, that will be split among the students. And if students use their $1,000 study abroad scholarship from Doane, the grand total for the trip will be around $3,000-$3,500. This includes round-trip airfare, lodging, transportation, most meals and tickets to itinerary items.
“For most of us, just airfare and lodging alone would cost that much if we were lucky,” Ritzenthaler said.
The trip will appeal to English, theatre and history majors, but Ritzenthaler and Johnson organized the itinerary so Doane students of any major will find the experience interesting.
“There are experiences layered into the trip that would be right up the alley for theatre and history majors (a Shakespeare production at the Globe Theatre, a trip to the British Museum), for instance, let alone students who just generally have an interest and passion in learning more about other cultures and gaining a global perspective,” she said.
Other stops include: Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, Oxford, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London and Brixton.
A study showed college students who study abroad have a 0.12 point increase in their GPA upon graduation versus students who don’t study abroad. Doane students notice the academic and personal growth they experience after studying abroad. Qualities like confidence, empathy, independence and respect all improve.
“I think some of that self discovery is probably one of the biggest transformative things,” Tim Burge said of the positive impact studying abroad has on students. Burge is the director of international programs at Doane.
Students interested in “Literature in London” should email [email protected]. The registration deadline is October 31, 2024.
