She tried to go shopping during the afternoon siesta.
And, oh yeah, she watched black-and-white foreign films in a tiny country movie theater with no air conditioning, as her professor explained Italian neorealism.
Schindler is among a record number of students attending Lynn University's international summer school programs that have helped the Boca Raton school rank third in the country for overseas study.
The 21-year-old Schindler said the 10-day trip to Italy taught her more about movies - and the world - than she could ever learn in a classroom.
"I literally came back a different person," Schindler said. "I realized how ignorant I was of other cultures."
About 130 students, or 5 percent of Lynn's enrollment, are taking summer classes this year in the markets, museums and malls of a dozen countries, including Vietnam, Spain and South Africa.
With as many as 700 students enrolled in some kind of study-abroad program last year, Lynn University came in behind only Elon University in North Carolina and James Madison University in Virginia for having the highest number of students traveling to other countries for classes.
The rankings, from the Institute of International Education, were for universities whose highest degree is at the master's level.
"We really want our students to be prepared to go out in the workforce, and a lot of the workforce is international," said Nicolette Orezzoli, assistant director of Lynn's study-abroad program.
The private university emphasizes multicultural studies as part of its liberal-arts curriculum and requires each student to complete four credits in a study-abroad program.
The school has students from more than 90 countries and touts its diverse enrollment as something that sets it apart from larger schools.
Professors also are encouraged to teach students in the real world instead of staying full time in the classroom.
In March, students taking a class called the "Final Four Experience" visited Atlanta to study the marketing and management of teams competing in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Tickets to the games were included in the $3,250 trip cost.
For study-abroad classes, Lynn students can enroll in traditional semester-long courses where they attend school in another country while living with a family, or they can enroll in special academic study tours.
The study tours, which usually last about two weeks, are led by Lynn professors who teach about the culture of the country as well as the subject matter the class is studying.
A business class now in China is visiting Hong Kong's commercial district, but also will take a tour of the Great Wall.
A communication class going to Ireland next month will attend lectures at the American College Dublin and visit the Guinness brewery. The brewery, the syllabus explains, will "provide experiential activities regarding the history of educational and business opportunities in Ireland."
The tours, which cost between $1,500 and $6,000, earn students three credits. Financial aid is available for students who can't afford the trips.Labels: high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
