There is beauty in all the abroad programs that Tulane offers for spring scholars, it just depends on the type of experience you want to have. If you want to go on a program with the most spring scholars, then Rome would likely be your best bet. However, other programs, such as London, have smaller groups of spring scholars, which fosters the creation of very strong bonds. Spring Scholars in Paris were able to experience a great deal of freedom, seeing as they were placed in apartments spread throughout the city, creating a significant amount of independence.
Your experience abroad is essentially what you make of it. I went to Rome, and my friends and I traveled most weekends, exposing ourselves to various countries and cultures, making Rome a “home base” rather than where we spent most of our time. However, others preferred to spend the majority of their time in Rome, allowing them to have a more in-depth immersion into Roman culture.
Studying abroad during your first semester in college is different from other common abroad experiences because many students go abroad as juniors. Going abroad in your first semester is an exciting challenge because you are developing the foundational habits of living, studying, and learning how to manage your time all while studying abroad. Managing school work and building good study habits was definitely a tricky obstacle to overcome because on the one hand, you want to build strong learning techniques that you will continue to utilize for the rest of your college experience, but on the other hand, you want to make the most of your abroad experience and take advantage of all the different cultures you have access to.
After interviewing multiple spring scholars about their transition into Tulane from abroad, I found a few common themes. Many spring scholars are very appreciative of the advising office for helping us “integrate seamlessly” into Tulane. However, many spring scholars found difficulty in getting informed of our rooming assignments so close to our move-in date as this causes anxiety throughout the entire first semester. It was also difficult for spring scholars who rushed because due to scheduling, we had to miss the campus tour. An optional guided tour of campus after sorority recruitment would help ease the transition into Tulane. This would benefit a large group of spring scholars, seeing as many of us participated in the rush process, and a large aspect of feeling a part of a community is knowing your way around the area.
Spring scholars who have joined Greek life have expressed that this significantly supported their integration into the Tulane community because it allowed them to create many new connections and created a sense of support. Other spring scholars reported that making friends with people in their classes has helped them feel as though they are “officially a Tulane student”, and the students who are open to meeting new people have helped create a stronger sense of belonging.
