Apply now

Dear Diana,
 
There are so many reasons to choose the Purdue College of Liberal Arts, but for me one thing stood out above the rest.
 
After living in Denmark and Spain before college, I knew that I wanted to expand my international knowledge in college, so I decided to take the opportunity to study abroad.
 
Purdue has diverse travel options for wherever and whatever you want to do, so many that I studied abroad three times and had a different experience with each trip. After traveling to Zambia the summer before my sophomore year, I was hooked. Next, I traveled to Lima, Peru, where I applied my studies, explored the culture, shadowed speech pathologists and helped with classes at bilingual schools. This immersion helped me get to the next level in Spanish and helped me land a job as a translator for the Audiology department.  
 
Finally, I headed to Alicante, Spain, for a whole semester to further improve my Spanish. The program was big enough to make a new group of American friends and small enough to make plenty of local Spanish friends. Because of friendships I made while abroad, I was able to attend barbecues, hang out at beach houses and visit family-owned orange groves.
 
Study abroad has transformed my undergraduate experience as well as the person I’ve become. The sense of adventure and surprise that accompany each trip have taught me how to adapt and make the most of any situation. Through study abroad, I’ve had the opportunity to work with faculty members, students and people from around the world. I have grown personally and professionally in ways that wouldn¹t be possible without an international experience.  
 
At Purdue, you¹ll have the opportunity to do all of these things and more. Find out for yourself by scheduling a visit and applying. Your adventure is just around the corner!
 
Megan O'Connell
Senior
Linguistics
Spanish
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences