Escape from Winter

As we all know, this Thursday Happy Valley was slammed with the snow storm of the semester. Mother Nature teased us with hints of spring and almost 50 degree temperatures earlier this week, so this truly is a cruel change of weather. So, in honor of wanting to be anywhere warmer than State College right now, I'm going to give you the skinny on some awesome Study-Abroad programs in more tropical climates!

1. Cairo, Egypt

This particular program is open to all majors and all students in at least their second semester of their sophomore year. Situated in the center of the Arabic speaking world, students study through the American University in Cairo and can expect to get very familiar with the Arabic language. The best part? The current weather in Cairo is a high of 73 and sunny.

2. Melbourne, Australia

Monash University in Melbourne really loves American students! This program allows you to use federal and state grants to finance your trip, and the University Office of Global Programs also have grants and scholarships available to apply for. Monash University is also similar to PSU in that it has several campuses in and around Melbourne (which was also named the second best city in the world to be a student!). However, you need to be a Junior in order for your application to be considered. Sorry everybody. Australia is hot as sin, and Melbourne is no different with a high of 88 degrees next Wednesday. Wouldn't that be nice?

3. Atenas, Costa Rica

Good news! You could go to Costa Rica next year as long as you have a 3.0 and want to study ecology, economics, and sustainability! Costa Rica's Center for Sustainable Development Studies houses the students that embark on this adventure, and the town of Atenas is close enough that you could spend a weekend at the beach, go ziplining in the mountains, or visit the island's volcanoes. And while you're there you might as well go visit Territorio de Zaguates aka Land of the Stray Dogs aka Heaven on Earth in San Jose.

Also, Costa Rica is currently a balmy 73 degrees, in case you needed some convincing.

4. Rome, Italy

For those of you that aren't quite ready to jump into shorts weather, PSU offers many programs in Rome, one of the easiest and probably the most fun is through the College of Communications and is the study of Roman Film and Photography. You need to be a sophomore, have a 2.5, and the dream of being a photographer for this one (just kidding). Students get to watch movies and get graded on them, explore the architecture of the city, and take pictures while they're doing it. Did I mention you also get to visit Florence and Venice? And that it's 51 degrees in Rome right now?!

5. London, United Kingdom

Finally, if you're happy being cold and soggy and are just looking for a change of scenery (and dialect) go to London! PSU offers a literal dozen programs based in London, and basically if you have a 3.0 and are at least a sophmore, you are likely to be accepted to one of them. Study topics range from theatre, to business, to engineering. While you're at it, you can visit the London Eye, Parliament, Big Ben, and all those other touristy locations during your free time. Just don't forget to bring a windbreaker and an umbrella because right now, it is 36 degrees and raining.

PSU has so many fantastic Study Abroad Programs, brochures for which can be found at Penn State's Global Education Page, and I highly encourage you to take a look and find one that best suits your interests (and weather preferences)

I'd give Penn State's Study Abroad program 7 chilled students out of 8

Photos courtesy of  Penn State Education Abroad website and Wikipedia

Cairo
Melbourne
Atenas
Rome
London