The world is at UCLA students’ fingertips today in
Ackerman Grand Ballroom on the second and final day of the
first-ever Education Abroad Program fair.
Each country available for study will have a table staffed by
students visiting from that country or those who have studied
abroad there, said Emily Mohajeri Norris, the administrative
director from UCLA EAP.
The EAP fair follows the sixteenth annual Study Abroad Fair held
Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., also in AGB.
The event, organized by Eva Walthers, international program
counselor for UCLA, gave students the opportunity to talk with 70
individual study abroad programs that are alternatives to EAP.
Students who missed this fair can still stop by Walthers’
office in room 200 of the Strathmore Building year-round to look
into study abroad programs. Those unable to attend the EAP fair
today can receive information by making an appointment with one of
the EAP counselors in 1119 Hershey Hall.
Students may not know how to choose between EAP and other
independent study abroad programs.
EAP is the official UC study abroad program, which allows
students to remain closely integrated with the school, said Lindsay
Daltro, international programs counselor for EAP.
All grades automatically transfer over, full financial aid is
available, and since students pay the same amount of student fees
while abroad it could actually be less expensive than living in
Westwood, Daltro said.
Walthers said the people she works with may be looking to teach,
intern, work or volunteer abroad. She also helps students who want
to travel in countries or time periods not offered through EAP.
“We even have week long programs and programs with no
language requirements,” Walthers said.
She also said there is less planning involved since the
deadlines for many programs she represents are later ““
students can still apply to go abroad this winter quarter.
The grades earned through independent programs do not transfer
over, but students do receive credit. All federal and state grants
can be used, but UC financial aid does not apply to these non-UC
programs, Walthers said.
Scholarships are available for both programs, and both advocates
for studying abroad stressed that money should never prevent
someone from studying abroad.
In fact, for those involved in the two fairs, no reason is good
enough for not studying abroad.
“You find out more about yourself and find out that people
from other countries know more about the United States than you
do,” said Arturo Artaza, a representative from the
International Studies Abroad program.
Gregory Stephany, who was at a booth next to Artaza,
representing Suny Brockport, said, “UCLA has a great setup
here, providing a great number of services to students. Part of our
job is to shuffle students to the right program.”
He and Artaza constantly referred students to programs that
would better fit their needs throughout the day.
Hudson Hamilton, a fourth-year international economics student,
studied in Japan and said “(EAP) completely shaped the
direction of my future.” He plans to move to Japan after
graduation to work in international trade.
EAP is expanding its program by starting a club this year to
keep returned students and visiting students connected. They also
hold brown bag lunches that are a more informal way for students to
learn about traveling abroad.
The general consensus from everyone involved was expressed by
Walthers when she said, “It doesn’t matter what program
you go through as long as you go abroad.”