Your decision to study abroad was a huge step. You are about to become part of something BIG.

In 1990, only 71,000 U.S. students left their home institutions to study abroad. Most of these students studied language, and few of them ventured outside of Europe.

This year, over 300,000 students will make the leap to study or intern abroad. They will have adventures all over the globe, and see things that they never dreamed were out there. They will learn about themselves, and about the world, and they will return to their home campuses filled with ideas, memories, opinions, and experiences that were possible only because they decided to go BIG and to go far. YOU will be among this very lucky group.

Congratulations! As you go through this Orientation and prepare for your international experience, remember, you are about to become part of something very special. You could have chosen to stay at your home institution, but you didn’t. We applaud your decision to take a hands-on approach to your education. Great things await you…