Study Abroad Program Affords Freshmen a First Semester Overseas
- Dec 5, 2023
- Education Abroad
After the recent announcement of Take the World by the Horns, a new study abroad program for first-year students at The University of Texas at Austin that begins in the Fall 2024 semester, Education Abroad Director Thomas Ward said the University's Office of Admissions has received about 10,000 applications indicating interest.
The program, established by Texas Global in collaboration with the Office of Admissions, allows incoming first-year students to begin their studies with a semester abroad, learning alongside a cohort of 20-25 classmates in one of three locations: Seoul, South Korea; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Panama City, Panama.
Sonia Feigenbaum, senior vice provost for global engagement and chief international officer, said the idea for the program began as a response to the growing number of prospective college students who take a gap year following their high school graduation. It also aims to address the decline of foreign language learning among students at universities in the United States.
“We are very well placed at UT Austin, with stellar students who are curious [and] not afraid to try new things, open their horizons,” Feigenbaum said.
Students in the program will be enrolled in 12 hours of coursework supplemented by hands-on language and cultural opportunities at partner universities, which include Hanyang University in South Korea, the School for International Training in Panama and the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen, where current faculty and alumni are engaged in research.
“We have a very robust alumni group … [who] are also very excited [to participate in this program],” Feigenbaum said. “It’s looking at internationalization from the perspective of: You are going to be abroad; you are going to be learning; but you are going to be part of a broader Longhorn community.”
Incoming students can apply for Take the World by the Horns by indicating interest on their UT Austin admission application, either through the Common App or Apply Texas, and completing a supplementary application. Applications are now open, with a deadline to apply by December 8, 2023.
Read more at The Daily Texan.
