Credit: Amherst College GEO
Hi readers! Welcome back! Sit back, relax, and enjoy hearing about my experience in beginning the study abroad process!
In coming to Amherst College, I knew they had a robust study abroad program. At Amherst, 45% of students study abroad! There are many different programs from around the world for students to choose from.
I knew that I potentially wanted to study abroad, but I was unsure about when I wanted to study abroad during my time at Amherst, and where I wanted to go. The study abroad process was introduced to me during my orientation at Amherst, and there have been additional information sessions at various times throughout the year.
In choosing classes for the start of the fall 24 semester of my sophomore year, I decided to take an introductory Spanish course. My father is from Venezuela, and Spanish was his first language, and being from New Mexico, I have had Spanish surround me my whole life. I knew that in taking Spanish in college, I would be granted an opportunity to further my Spanish fluency. I was so excited to begin my Spanish language journey!
Now, in the spring semester of my sophomore year, I have progressed to the second introductory course of the foundational language course. I have enjoyed being a part of the Spanish department! When you take an intro Spanish language course at Amherst, you have to attend five cultural events outside of class time. It has been so fun attending events at the Spanish language theme community residence hall, Newport Hall! I have also attended the Mesa de Español (Spanish table) at Valentine Dining Hall to talk to my peers in Spanish on Fridays at lunch!
Because I am a member of the varsity track and field team, it is suggested that I study abroad in the fall semester of my junior year, so that I can compete with the team in the spring semester. In beginning to consider where I was going to apply to study abroad in the upcoming Fall ’26 semester, I knew that I wanted to continue my Spanish language journey. This meant that I would be studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country!
In the beginning of my study abroad application process, I met with the wonderful staff of the Global Education Office (GEO) to consider my options. Because I had only taken two Spanish courses during my time at Amherst, my study abroad options for Spanish speaking countries were limited, but I still had a few programs I could apply for!
Ultimately, I decided to study abroad with the CASA program in Granada, Spain! This program is amazing because it allows students to take a Spanish proficiency test, and be placed in the appropriate level of Spanish. Now, in the fall semester, I will not be taking any major credit for my two majors, Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought (LJST), and Environmental Studies majors. I will just be studying the Spanish language. I am so excited for this next adventure!
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about Amherst, or would like to talk further, email me at cjaeger27@amherst.edu.