Imagine going to class and then taking a break to stroll along the Seine in Paris, surf in Sydney or shop in Tokyo. This is a reality for many students who have decided to travel abroad to experience the many benefits that come with immersing oneself in a different culture.

There are two main programs at CSUN that give students the opportunity to study outside of CSUN. One is the CSU International Programs (IP) and the other is National Student Exchange (NSE). Students can be enrolled at CSUN while studying in another city around the world and still earn credit towards their degree.

IP offers 18 countries that students can choose from to visit for one academic year which are not limited to the following: Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Europe is the most popular destination for CSUN students.

“Quite often student’s say to me, ‘I can’t afford to do it,’ and my answer is you can’t afford not to,” said Juliet Aylmer, Study Abroad and NSE Advisor.

In order for students to study abroad during their junior year, they need to organize their trip and apply during their sophomore year.  Aylmer is keen on freshmen and sophomores learning this information early because if they organize it correctly, they can study abroad and still graduate on time.

One of the students who decided to embark on the journey was Karina Garcia-Guillen, 21,senior, political science major who studied at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, through the IP program.

“I got to meet people from all over the world in such a short amount of time and I became very good friends with them,” Garcia- Guillen said. “I got the diversity without having to go very far.”

Garcia-Guillen had the opportunity to travel within Quebec, around the East Coast of the US, and Cuba while abroad. She plans on traveling around Europe next summer and later studying abroad while attending law school next year.

“It was the best trip I’ve ever taken…everything I learned was life-changing,” said Garcia-Guillen.

There are also other programs offered at CSUN including the CSUN exclusive campus-based exchange program and the China Scholarship, and Fulbright program. These options provide students a wide-range of opportunities that will ultimately help them grow as individuals.

“I just want to highlight that when a student talks about their study abroad experience, you can see the glimmer in their eyes,” said Besnike Saitoski, Academic Liaison. “It’s the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and see things in a different perspective that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to at home.”

To find out more information about studying abroad, The Study Abroad Fair will take place on October 15 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in the Grand Salon at the USU.