Hi! My name is Danielle Luing, Syracuse University Class of 2025, and I am currently a double major in Marketing and Finance with a minor in Sociology. So, study abroad- woo! I chose my specific program because I applied in December of my freshman year. I was, and still am, so young, but wanted to be able to get a head start on my Whitman abroad requirement. I also wanted to be able to get a feel for studying abroad early on in my time at SU, so I could decide if I wanted to go for a whole semester. I chose to apply to the London program as it was important to me to go to a country that primarily spoke English as its primary language since I have Celiac Disease and wanted to be able to communicate with people so I would not get sick from what I was eating.
The course I took was “Business of Nightlife in London”. This has been my favorite course as well as favorite professor I have had during my time here at SU. The professors and staff are so personable and really get to know you so well, in London, since there are not that many students there during each specific block. This really helped me feel more comfortable being in a new country, as I knew I had people who cared about me at the Syracuse London Center. My class really helped integrate me into the new area I was in, since multiple assignments required us to go to London nightlife events and write reflections/study the dynamic of the event. My professor was quite knowledgeable about the subject as he was a club promoter, so he truly knew the industry better as he directly worked with it in the past. This class also allowed for us students to be involved in extracurricular activities, as my professor set up private events for us to go to outside of class- one being a lesson on the art of being a DJ and matching beats.
One of the highlights of my trip was the Syracuse sponsored trip to Oxford. It was one of my favorite experiences during my time in London as I believe it really allowed the group to bond. Not everyone in Block 2 went on this trip, so having a smaller number of people really allowed us to connect. From time spent on the bus, to all living on the same floor at the hotel, to the tours of Oxford where we got to interact with one another, it truly brought us all closer and made us a little Syracuse London family. The school-sponsored trips are truly so worth it, and I would highly recommend taking advantage of everything they plan as they are the experts on that country and will allow you to explore without having to plan everything.
I lived in a four person flat which was about ten minutes away from Faraday House. The housing accommodations Syracuse chooses are better than one would think. At least for me, in London, I felt very safe in the area I stayed in, as it was a community of college students, some being from Syracuse and others from different schools. My roommate and I were able to have our own bathroom, and then my other two housemates had their own bathroom, which was very nice. The kitchen was also a fully functioning kitchen, which made it easy to try to budget and allowed us to cook for ourselves instead of eating out for every meal. I feel like when I look back at the slideshows presented to us at our London meetings, I was worried about how small the flats would be, and we were warned that this was a city and the living quarters were going to be smaller than usual. I was greatly surprised when my double room was actually bigger than my room at Syracuse University, and the bathroom was bigger than the pods I was used to in the dorms. Overall, much better than I anticipated, and nothing to be stressed about before going. New housing options available as of fall 2022.
Studying abroad truly changed my perspective on the world, and made me realize that I do not want to solely live in the U.S. after I graduate. It made me start to think about jobs that would give me the opportunity to live in London, and look into graduate programs that would allow me to take classes in a different country than I am right now. I plan to travel more in the future, as I feel more confident knowing that I was able to adjust once to a totally new country and culture and feel more comfortable doing that again. I’ve learned to be more confident in myself and what I can do, since I never thought I would have the courage to go to a whole new country alone, and end up thriving.
Danielle Luing ‘25
Syracuse London
Bonjour and Hallo! I’m Ben Shultz and I spent my final semester of graduate school abroad at the 
For Americans, the chance to intern at any of the European institutions is incredibly limited. Syracuse University’s partnership with the Council of Europe enabled me to gain valuable experience working ‘on the inside’, so to speak. My broad focus at the Maxwell School has been cyber and tech policy, and at the Pompidou Group I was given the chance to explore this focus further.
Having been back in the U.S. for less than a month, I’m pleased to say I’ll be starting a new role with 
Dia duit! My name is Lily Rhuda. I am a junior biomedical engineering major(Class of 2023) here at Syracuse University and I was able to study abroad through the World Partner Program at the 
Speaking of travel, that was 100% one of my favorite things about studying abroad. I was able to travel extensively within Ireland and Northern Ireland. The UCD Study Abroad program had several weekends of day trips to famous destinations that were completely free for us, and my friends and I went on every single one of them. My favorite was probably the first weekend where we got to kayak through the Irish sea out to an island, climbed up a mountain(not a crazy hike lol) to get some panoramic views of the coastline, and finally did some cliff jumping at the local baths. In addition to those trips, I traveled with my friend and with my family when they came to visit.
Why did you choose this program?
What’s one of the best experiences you had?
My name is Katie Blomkvist and I studied abroad in Strasbourg, France in the fall 2021. I am majoring in Public Health and Policy Studies and am graduating in Spring 2023. During my time in Strasbourg, I was an intern at the Council of Europe International Co-operation Group on Drugs and Addictions.
The Strasbourg Center had organized trips and activities for us to attend through the entire semester. With the school, I visited nine museums in Paris, dozens of waterfalls from glaciers throughout Switzerland, and Alsatian vineyards in the country. Partaking in these activities and trips was a way to connect with the other students in the program and to experience new cultures. On these trips, we were able to try traditional foods and drinks of the areas we visited. Eating crepes in Paris, fondue in Switzerland, and wine in the Alsatian vineyards was such a fun and unique experience!
In Strasbourg, all students live with a host family. In my family, I lived with my two host parents, Isabelle and Jerome. They have three children who are grown and out of the house but come to visit frequently. I had a very positive experience with my family. They helped me to improve my French and made me feel at home even when family was so far away. We would eat dinner together every weeknight and talk about how our day went. My parents and sisters came to visit me while I was away, and Isabelle and Jerome invited them to come over for dinner because they wanted to meet them. They were very kind and welcoming! My host family lived very close to a bus stop that I would take to school every day. The public transportation in Strasbourg, although intimidating at first, is very easy to use. There are buses and trams that you can take within the city and out to the suburbs as well.
¡Hola! I am Victoria Amado, a junior studying Policy Studies, Information Management & Technology, and Spanish Language, Literature & Culture. I will be graduating in the spring of 2023, and I had the pleasure of studying abroad in the fall 2021 semester in Madrid, Spain. To say it has changed my life would be the understatement of the century.
One of the things that are most important to me in life is dancing. While abroad, I knew I wanted to continue my training and learn new styles from the professionals in Madrid. Anxiously walking into a dance class in a new city was one of the scariest things I did abroad, but also the most rewarding. I ended up finding my home away from home, taking 2-3 classes a week from different Spanish choreographers, and loving every minute of it.
Hi – my name is Karen and during the summer of 2019, I spent my time interning at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The Council is an intergovernmental organization with 47 member states, working to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law within its jurisdiction and beyond. As I am working toward master’s degrees in both Public Administration and International Relations, this presented an opportunity for me to gain insight into both my areas of interest simultaneously. I had my office in the Agora building, which not only gave me great access to my team members and other interns, but also provided for a very interesting work environment overall.
My assignments were focused on various research projects relating to human rights, with the main emphasis being on environmental issues as these impact, and are impacted by, human rights. I also wrote speech drafts, proofread documents to be sent out and published, and took notes at different meetings. The most valuable experience for me during my internship, however, was the opportunity to experience how the organization functions. It was important to my supervisor that I get as much out of my experience as possible, which led to her encouraging me to attend different plenary meetings, sessions, and voting procedures. These areas were not directly relevant to my work per se, so I was not required to take notes and work during that time but was encouraged to just attend and take in the experience. Through these instances I also got the opportunity to network and socialize with relevant actors from my field during breaks and lunches, which gave me much insight into the world of international relations and thus complimented knowledge gained from the classroom.
My name is Levi Heath! I am an MAIR student and during summer 2021, I participated in three courses through the 