Short-Term Study Away: NYU Students Share Their Experiences

Since I started at NYU during the pandemic, I couldn’t fit a full semester of study abroad into my plan of study. I went to look at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development’s short-term study away offerings. Subsequently, it felt like fate when I found a trip that was perfectly aligned with my studies!

I participated in an NYU Steinhardt study abroad program at NYU London called Comparative Perspectives on Autism and Well-Being. I traveled to London with 15 NYU graduate students and two professors. We took a course called Shifting to a Strength-Based Paradigm: A Focus on Autism. The class visited schools and museums, and we heard from amazing researchers and speakers. We also discussed how to bring our coursework back to our work as educators, occupational therapists, and counselors. I’m so glad I got to participate in this unique class before I graduated.

Visiting a primary school! I loved getting to interact with the students. I also got to hear about research being done at the school about flexible seating in the classroom.

I attended the NYU Berlin summer program last June! I took two classes, Augmenting the Gallery and Berlin Spaces. I chose this program because I wanted to experience Berlin in the summer, didn’t want to lose a semester in New York City after an atypical first year in 2020.

While I was in Berlin, I had the opportunity to participate in an art exhibition alongside students from various German universities as well as students from NYU Abu Dhabi. The show was run through a local artist collective, so I learned a lot about the Berlin art scene. It was an incredible experience!

I chose to study away with the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars Program to deepen my understanding of social change and experience Ghana’s culture. During January Term, I traveled to Ghana and engaged with professors from NYU Accra and the University of Ghana, explored the cities of Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast, and visited cultural sites like the Black Star Square and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.

This experience not only broadened my perspective on global diversity but also empowered me to apply principles of justice and equality in my life back in New York.

My favorite memory was immersing myself in the culture, especially the dance and music scene. Learning to play Ghanaian drums and traditional dances alongside my fellow scholars forged bonds that will last a lifetime.

I chose an alternative break study away program because after my first year I was really itching to experience NYU study away! I had never been out of the country before and I felt ready to push my boundaries.

I studied away for a six-week program in Athens, Greece, through the College of Arts and Science summer away program, studying Athenian culture and the classics!

My favorite memory from the program was our last night when we went to the temple of Poseidon. We knew it was our last big trip so the entire bus ride there we did karaoke and danced the night away.

Over winter break I spent two weeks in South Korea with the Gallatin School of Individualized Study’s Albert Gallatin Scholars program! 

This program only runs winter break trips, but I think it’s fantastic timing. I was able to be fully immersed without worrying about other classes, and I started the spring semester with new perspectives from my incredible experience.

My favorite memory was our stay at the Baekyangsa temple, especially the extravagant meal cooked by nun Jeong Kwan, who is also a famous chef! 

I studied away at NYU London during January Term. I traveled with my biodiversity class through a Steinhardt honors program. It was a cool way to take advantage of NYU’s global sites and to learn something new in between semesters.

We looked for fossils along the Jurassic Coast and got a private tour of the British Museum’s scientific artifact collection!

I went on a J Term semester in Nashville, TN, called Production and A&R in the Music Industry to continue studying music business.

I chose this specific study abroad experience because it most closely aligns with my concentration at Gallatin. This trip was inherently interdisciplinary and allowed me to experience a number of different paths in the music industry.

My favorite memory from the trip was the final listening session at East Iris Studios. Being able to experience the culmination of our work in Nashville was a gratifying experience.