With expenses like tuition, housing and books, college students don't usually have the money it takes to travel around the world.
The Study Abroad Program at UNM provides the students with the opportunity to attend international schools for the same amount of tuition that UNM requires.
Ken Carpenter, study abroad adviser, said UNM offers several kinds of study abroad programs because of an agreement it has with other international universities.
"They send us a certain number of students and we send them a certain number each year," Carpenter said. "Robyn CotÇ over at the Latin American and Iberian Institute takes care of Latin America and Spain and I coordinate programs for the rest of the world."
Carpenter said the program has exchanges in about 20 countries but none in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
If students want to go places that UNM does not have exchange agreements with, the study abroad office helps them find study abroad programs that are not associated with UNM.
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He said the duration of the programs is usually one semester or year.
Students who want to study abroad must complete an application, have a 3.0 grade point average and write an essay about how they can contribute to the program. Students who pass this portion go on to an interview process.
Carpenter said he and his colleagues try to prepare the students as much as possible for the trips.
"We do a very extensive orientation that prepares them for culture shock, personal issues like sexual behavior, drinking, drugs and safety issues," he said.
Elena Bissell, a junior majoring in anthropology and Spanish, went to Spain during the fall semester of 2001.
Bissell said one of the biggest barriers she faced was the lack of resources she was used to in the United States in relation to her school work.
"Not everyone had access to a computer and we didn't have a huge resource library like we do here at UNM," Bissell said. "We were expected to do the same quality of work there that we do here."
Bissell's UNM academic scholarship transferred over to her school in Spain and covered her tuition. She also received scholarships from the Honors Department that helped her with housing expenses.
Bissell said her experience in Spain was very valuable and educational.
"I think experiencing another culture is necessary in a person's life to broaden your horizons and to make you more aware of the world around you," she said. "I was afraid but it really taught me about what I can do and what I can accomplish."
Carpenter said when international students arrive at UNM they go through a half-day orientation. He said the study abroad office helps them to find housing and social events to attend so they can get to know other students. Carpenter and other advisers also maintain contact with the students throughout their stay in the United States.
Paul Medrisch, a political science major, is on exchange from Argentina for this semester.
"It's a great experience to live in this country," he said. "I am even thinking of starting my master's studies here in the United States."
Patrick Fields, a UNM junior majoring in communication and journalism, went to Denmark from August 2000 to July 2001 with the study abroad program.
Fields said culture shock did not hit him until he had been in Denmark for three months.
"I just had this euphoric feeling when I first got there," he said. "It's almost like living through the eyes of another person."
Although Fields said the experience is something he will always treasure, he did admit the trip was quite pricey.
"I had to take out a $6,000 loan and my plane ticket was about $1,395," he said. "But you're only young once and you have to live."
Carpenter said UNM traditionally has few students going abroad.
"I think the low number primarily is for financial reasons," he said. "However, we want to internationalize the campus and we are hoping that we can expand in the next few years."
