Meredith’s Office of International Programs (OIP) will be hosting its Study Abroad Virtual Showcase the week of Sept. 14-18. It is highly encouraged to RSVP to the Study Abroad Virtual Showcase; to do so, click here. The Study Abroad Virtual Showcase will include information sessions about different study abroad programs from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. every night, hosted by study abroad faculty and alumnae. During the day there will be social media takeovers from study abroad alumnae on the OIP’s Instagram account, @MCGoGlobal.
The first night of the virtual showcase, Monday, Sept. 14, will feature the Education in Italy program for those in the education department, as well as current Teaching Fellows. The same night, the summer Italian Life and Culture and United Kingdom programs will be featured in a joint “Whole Program” session. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, Italy will be highlighted again, this time with the 2-week summer Cultural Tourism in Tuscany program, aimed toward those in the business and hospitality departments. Wednesday, Sept. 16, will showcase the Costa Rica: Language and Culture summer program, where students will get to live with a Costa Rican host family and learn more about the Spanish language and Costa Rican culture. The summer Paris: Fashion program will be featured the same night, this one being directed towards those who are interested in the retail industry and fashion merchandising. Thursday, Sept. 17, will focus on Meredith’s two Semester in Italy programs, with Life & Culture taking place in fall 2021 and History & Politics taking place in spring 2022. The last day of the virtual showcase, Friday, Sept. 18, will provide information about affiliate programs, which provide opportunities for students to study abroad on programs offered by providers other than Meredith. More information about the Study Abroad Virtual Showcase can be found here.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic prevented students from studying abroad this past summer, the OIP is starting to plan future study abroad programs. The OIP is monitoring travel recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. State Department, World Health Organization, Overseas Security Advisory Council and other resources, as well as collaborating with the Meredith Health Center to keep students safe and make decisions about study abroad program viability. Decisions around whether or not spring 2021 study abroad programs will be able to take place will be made by mid-October, while decisions about the summer 2021 study abroad programs will be made by mid-March. The OIP has committed to giving full refunds to student accounts in the event that any programs are cancelled before departure due to COVID-19. To learn more about the health and safety plans of the Office of International Programs, click here.
Throughout the week of the Study Abroad Virtual Showcase, the OIP will be posting helpful information about application processes, deadlines, study abroad advising and study abroad scholarships on Instagram. Follow them there for updates, as well as to see the Instagram takeovers from study abroad alumnae during the week.
By Mia Shelton, Contributing Writer