Page 3 'iday, February If, [Friday, February 16, 2(X)l iierl from Pari slit ut ional Cult; ithan Smith, ware honestlj® lire, a fail-safe® iitely essenii it's safe to mt Bonpi in i lent pro m hereto , and we 1 to violas hat ion in way." THE BATTALION Been around the world Aggies study abroad, learn valuable lessons, gain experience By Jason Bennyhoff The Battalion I H Sandy beaches, cheap drinks and the opportunity to meet new, - Jonathanta||xciting people may draw students to study abroad programs, but ulture co-chanB iere j s more to be learned from these programs than how to il s k f° r a * n another language. i speak for [rsw Cathy Schutt, assistant director of study abroad programs at iration. butlujpTexas A&M, said study abroad programs are designed to improve lath of the IA students’ understanding of other cultures and open their eyes to ivas one trad. |jff eren t perspectives on the world. “We are here to broaden the horizons of the students," Schutt said. Bonfire, Bo® rom the mett She said there are numerous study abroad programs through- ' out the year, topped by the summer semester, which has about 20 Smith said."la 111 programs this year. She said the trips go to such destinations as ilnt Bonfe l al y- Germany, Mexico, Australia and Dominica, mon fromteB Despite the fact that the individual programs are designed to on’t want to« fach a specific discipline, such as political science or foreign any way.” Binguage, Schutt said, any student can go on a study abroad FP- ‘Most programs are faculty-led, so a political science profes- )r might be leading a trip.” Schutt said. “However, any major fin go. as long us the program fits in their degree plan.” Schutt said the tuition for the programs depends on the length the trip, but most programs cost between $2,000 and $5,$00. A&M provides a number of study abroad opportunities, but uted from hi 3 communic«| ;nings witlis ted inthel : numerous overseas study programs are not led by A&M faculty, large event. B Aj^ough some students may not find what they want in Internet to program, Schutt said there are other organizations, like ,'’2™ the School for International Training, that provide excellent study I abroad opportunities, and the University encourages students to to notify stod; ex P lore those options. ■ Schutt said the study abroad library in Bizzell Hall West pro- tcm is tjdes information for students looking for opportunities outside house for' the A&M program. " Horner said® “If we are not meeting the needs of the students, they can take indents widi «vantage of outside programs,” Schutt said. “They should know, changes." though, that it is a different process to take a program outside the access thep«&M system. It is not really any more or less difficult, but it is a vww.ptts/tar-|jff eren t process. ” ■ |°■' ure j|^j!mRyan V.ocker. a study abroad participant and senior political erv. ling students 1 be the mos i| f opening ti# , see that it i' ■'e will waif- 1 nent,” WW be proactive ® istions, they'' science major, said he wanted to go “somewhere differ ent,” but A&M’s study abroad program did not pro vide the program he wanted. Locker chose to attend a 15-week program in Tibet sponsored by the School for International Training instead. “When it comes to what program to attend, you are really shortchanging yourself if you do not look into other programs,” Locker said. However, he warned students that programs outside the A&M system may not transfer directly for credit. Locker’s program provided him with only elective credits. Locker said his experiences abroad were more than worth the $12,000 he paid for the trip. “One of the most interesting experiences I had was when we were camping in a remote valley in Tibet,” Locker said. “One night a drunken nomad wandered into our tent and started singing Tibetan folk songs and asking for food.” A&M provides study abroad programs for both graduates and undergraduates in the form of in ternships, study programs and volunteer oppor tunities. One participant said that his experi ences in Mexico taught him a great deal about himself. Bobby Robbins, a senior political science major, took part in the Spring Leadership Program in Mexico. As quoted by the Study Abroad Programs Website, he said the trip reinforced his confidence in serving the public. “Given the opportunity to expe rience international culture and history on a deeper level, 1 was able to truly see how indelibly tied my life is to international public service,” Robbins said. “I was placed in a situation where I would have to stretch to get the job done. I did stretch and I did succeed.” Saturday' l reserve^ ;pot TUESDAY H-E-B Grocery Company Fexas Comptroller of Public Accounts American National Bridgestone/Firestone AIM Funds The St, Paul Companies Ernst & Young Mutuals.com Bed Bath & Beyond EDS The Expo Group J.D. Edwards & Company Skilled Sendees Corp, e2i Enron Corp. Hope Lumber & Supply Company Kurt Salmon Associates ABB, Inc. Guaranty Bank Ford Motor Company Smith & Associates Deloitte & Touche Walgreens Sewell Automotive Companies Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Sam's Club WEDNESDAY Review.^ fine Cours# ‘“rIncKim Uniw#*?-' >N elite Editor 2;ielife Editor s Editor ech Editor Jio Producer Co-RudioPro* 1 nnaster riday during tHe 1 -i (except Univef d at College S';.; University, ll ;l A&M UniveA, offices are in y -nail: ThebattaM r- endorsement 36. For classifie 11 office hours ai® *yi student to ■ascriptions are'" BIO a month. » )l ' Wal-mart Stores Inc. Donovan and Watkins KPMG, LLP Mervyn's California Valero Energy Dell Computer Corp. Zale Corporation Sysco Corporation Luby's, Inc. Ryan & Company Maxim Healthcare Services Allegiance Healthcare PricewaterhouseCoopers Adjoined Technologies Sher w i n - Wi 1 hams Neiman Marcus IBM Corporation Amrty Halliburton Company H&R Block Financial Advisors, Inc. Randalls/Tom Thumb Food Markets El Paso Energy National Instruments Office Depot United States Gypsum Co. Reliant Energy DCS JC Penny Equiva Services i EK Systems Foley's Sears, Roebuck and Company H.D. Vest Financial Services , Cintas Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. www.wehner.tamu.edu/bsc Grainger McLane Company, Inc, Grant Thornton LLP NASA Johnson Space Center Toys R Us Houston Chronicle IP Morgan Chase-Texas Kohl's Department Stores Energy Panhandle Pipe Line Companies Harte-Hanks Harley-Davidson, Inc. Salomon Smith Barney & Air Force Exchange Service (A A FES) Arthur Andersen DHL Worldwide Express Southwest Bank of Texas VarTec Telecom Concert Payless Shoe$ource Blockbuster, Inc; Hewbtt Associates Compaq Computer Corporation Consolidated Graphics Conoco Inc. Bear, Stearns & Co, Inc. Guaranty Bank Ford Motor Company Smith & Associates Deloitte & Touche Walgreens Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Sam's Club Halliburton Company THURSDAY Sai Software Consultant Inc. Royce Homes LP Crate and Barrel Pepsi Bottling Group SBC Communications Inc. United States Marine Corps Ford Motor Credit Company Wells Fargo Financial E & J Gallo Winery First Avantus Securities Accenture Aramark General Mills Harold's Stores, Inc. H&.R Block Financial Advisors, Inc, Randalls/Tom Thumb Food Markets Gap Inc. WebTPA El Paso Energy National Instruments Office Depot United States Gypsum Co. Reliant Energy UCS JC Penny Equiva Services TEK Systems Foley's Sears, Roebuck and Company H.D. Vest Financial Services Cintas Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. Onsite Companies Unocal Corporation Enterprise Rent-A-Car TXU USA A Hastings Entertainment, Inc. Duke Energy Baker Botts, LLP Dynegy Inc. Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C. Peace Corp Vista Analytics, EEC Fidelity Investments PSS/World Medical Federal Reserve Bank - Houston Merck & Co., Inc. Onsite Companies Unocal Corporation Enterprise Rent-A-Car TXU USAA Target Corporation Exxon Mobil Corporation KPMG Consulting Target Corporation Amcrican Express Financial Advisors, Inc. Exxon Mobil Corporation Frito-Lay, Irving Operations KPMG Consulting American Express Financial Advisors, Inc. Frito-Lay, Irving Operations