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Study Abroad Home
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| Testimonials |
| IIT offers a wide range of exchange and study abroad programs that suit
any academic program. The stories below are from IIT study abroad alumni
who have made their dream of studying overseas and traveling the world
come true!
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Austin Champlin,
Stockholm, Sweden, achampli@iit.edu
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| “I thought I was pretty independent after going to away to school at IIT, but this was nothing compared to who I became during the past few months. I feel confident to handle any situation after figuring out everything for myself in a foreign country.”
“I learned so much about Sweden and almost just as much about other countries from the students studying there from France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Korea, China, Australia, the U.K. and so many others."
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Carl Ekstrand, Australia,
cekstran@iit.edu
 
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Before:
“I will be honest, studying abroad in Australia will also hopefully be a lot of fun, which I believe to be an important part of life and the collegiate experience in general. On top of having fun and learning how to surf, I believe that this opportunity will provide me with the experiences that will shape my life and that I can look back on when making decisions in the future.”
After:
"I have done a lot of international traveling during my life; enjoying
the beautiful scenery, meeting new people and interacting with
different cultures. Going to Australia changed my life in a
completely different way. Somewhere between "studying" and surfing I
seemed to find myself. I came back to the US not only with stories
from all my adventures but also more open-minded and confident in who
I was. Studying abroad is definitely an experience that I would
encourage everyone to take advantage of. " |
Kevin Krupp,Copenhagen, kkrupp@iit.edu  
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"Perhaps the best experience of my academic career, studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark gave me an opportunity to engage a new culture and evaluate myself, my role as an American, and my place in a globalized
world. Traveling as far as Russia and Romania, I partook in some amazing experiences including cutting the heads off of people-shaped cakes at Danish birthdays, turning an Austrian’s bar into a swing club, New Years Eve under the Eiffel Tower, and watching the 2008 Presidential Elections from a club in downtown Copenhagen..Although it takes a little extra effort to get to know them, the Danes themselves are extremely friendly, no-nonsense, humble, and gorgeous. Their sense of humor takes a little getting used to. And even though the weather isn’t great, while you’re spending a home-cooked meal at the
end of the day with your Danish family, slipping into a small coffee shop off along the city’s cobbled streets, or walking under the Christmas lights and trimmings hanging above the famous walking street, Strøget, there is a sense of warmth and coziness – the Danes call it Hygge." |
Larissa Groszko,Copenhagen, Denmark,
lgroszko@iit.edu
 
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Before: “I want to be inspired in my designs by a new environment, and new people with views different from my own...Europe in itself is a showcase for architecture from some of the most recognized periods in history. I believe that to actually see and put myself in these buildings gives a whole new meaning to them.”
After: "As an architecture student I recognize the importance of learning about buildings and architecture, but to experience the structure is an entirely different kind of learning and understanding. It is a valuable quality for any individual to have in school and the professional world to have experienced and interacted with different cultures, food, and environments. Travel is the essence of learning, some are visual, some analyze to understand but vision and analysis only go so far and you wont see or understand your environment or the world until you get out into it and know it. The world is not as large as we think, we find similarities and familiar thoughts wherever we go. It is vital to understand that our differences are only an ocean apart. Traveling and education go hand in hand. I enjoyed the curiosity of the Danes which made me just as curious about them. They're extremely social and really know how have a good time which brought out my extremely social personality which allowed me to learn more about the Danes and their
culture." |
Michael Morley, Bogota, Colombia,
morlmic@iit.edu
 
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| "In December I was lucky enough to spend a weekend on a ranch and various virgen beaches in northern Colombia with my friend Gabriel. His family owns a beach house surrounded by parakeets and toucans and we spent a few days swimming on some islands with flying fish, dolphins and lobsters. We then spent a day at his grandfather’s ranch, which was comprised of 200 cattle, 150 pigs, 150 chickens, ducks, horses, and cherry orchards. Gabriel spent the day teaching me how to gallop on horseback as we crossed the hilly savannah surrounded by mountains and tropical forests where you can always hear the howler monkeys calling." |
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