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Volume 128 Issue 73
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Kansan.com
Thursday, February 5, 2015
The student voice since 1904
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WEEKEND EDITION
FOOD REVIEW
Senate bill to protect off-campus victims of sexual assault passes
According to Halling, the hope that this new bill will also run.
ALANA FLINN
JAYHAWKS ABROAD
Pictured below: (Top) Alex jaumann taking in the beautiful scenery during his semester abroad in Scotland; (Bottom) Christmas market in Estonia
TOP REASONS TO STUDY ABROAD IN THE FALL
By Alex Jaumann
As spring semester is just beginning, probably the last thing anyone wants to think about is the fall. If you're thinking about studying abroad, however, this is the perfect time. The fall semester is the best time to study abroad (in my opinion), as I learned when I studied at the University of Stirling in Stirling, Scotland during the Fall 2013 semester. Although studying in the spring allows you to end the semester with warm weather (if you're in the northern hemisphere anyway), there are plenty of reasons that studying abroad during the fall is the best.
1. Extend your summer and have more time to get your visa
Most fall semester programs start in September as opposed to August, meaning that you get an extra month to enjoy your summer break. Let's face it; many of us need a few months of summer break to recuperate after a year of hard work in classes, extracurricular activities and jobs. Whether you prefer taking a tropical vacation or just spending some time at home with family and high school friends, an extra month of break is always appreciated. If you like to work during the summer time, then you can use the extra month to work more hours and maximize your potential options for travel and activities while abroad. However, if you're feeling satisfied with the money you earned during the first few months of summer, why not spend your additional month as purely relaxing downtime? Either way, the only way you can get an extended summer break is by studying abroad in the fall. In addition, you will have the entire summer break (and maybe a little extra time) to get your visa paperwork in order, instead of trying to organize it over winter break.
2. It's the easiest semester to extend your stay
Believe it or not, most students who study abroad tend to enjoy their experience. In fact, what a lot of returned students will tell you (myself included) is that they wish they could have stayed longer in their host country. If you happen to be one of those students who can manage to study abroad for two consecutive semesters, studying fall-to-spring tends to be easier than studying spring-to-fall. This is especially true for juniors, who will find they're more likely to be able to extend their stay from a fall semester to their whole junior year rather than trying to add the fall semester of their senior year onto a junior spring semester.
3. You don't have to miss March Madness
4. Start the year with everyone else
As Jayhawks, we all know that we have a great basketball team. This means that the month of March can be an exciting time for all of us basketball fans. If you study abroad during the fall, you get to experience the wonders of another country in the fall semester and miss only a handful of non-conference games. Then once spring semester rolls around you can enjoy all of the most meaningful games of the season, all of the rivalry games and the magic of March Madness stateside with your fellow Jayhawk fanatics.
If you study abroad in the northern hemisphere, the academic year begins in the fall just like it does here in the US. By studying in the fall semester, you get to orient yourself with your host university while other new students are doing the same. When I was in Stirling, I met a lot of people at university-hosted events such as dances, student organization fairs and sport club fairs during the first week new student orientation period, called "Fresher's Week." I also met a lot of people while figuring out the bus system and finding
classrooms, and it was nice to know that there were a large number of students who were learning everything about the university along with me.
5. Enjoy the holidays abroad
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my fall semester was seeing all of the holiday cheer not only in Stirling, but around Europe. In December I was lucky enough to travel to Dublin, Ireland and several cities in Germany and Scotland. In Stirling and Dublin, several of the pubs and restaurants decorated their entire interior in celebration of the holidays. Beautiful
noiday lights were also displayed around every city I visited, just like in the US, including a large Christmas tree in Stirling's city center. In addition, December is the perfect time to see one of the best and most common European traditions: Christmas markets. Originally a German tradition, Christmas markets feature lots of holiday items for sale, delicious food, rides and a fun, festive atmosphere. If you happen to be studying in Europe during the fall, make sure to check out at least one Christmas market.
Want to know what Christmas markets to visit?
Check out this Buzzfeed article for tips: http://
www.buzzfeed.com/hannahjewell/christmas-mar-
kets-to-visit-before-you-die#mkrqijEv
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY BAYLEE SOWTER
Index CLASSIFIEDS 3B A&F 5A SPORTS 1B OPINION 4A PUZZLES 6A BREW 3B All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2015 The University Daily Kansan
Don't Forget
Wamelink said the SHAB, composed of representatives from the different student governing bodies, as well as faculty members, was encouraged by the campus-wide initiative to go to bacco-free.
co-free conversation, we've been saying that we probably need to take the step of prohibiting cigarettes and vaping devices in Student Housing.[25]
Drink your coffee
"With the [tobacco-free initiative]," Wamelink said, "our student leaders have been invited to some preliminary conversation and we're thinking about what would it look like for KU Student Housing to go completely tobacco-free. Should we
Skinner, who is also the president of ASHC, said most of the people he's spoken with don't have a problem with the ban on electronic cigarettes, but do take issue with the ban on tobacco paraphernalia.
"In terms of paraphernalia, most of the opinions I've been hearing, especially from students who live in the scholarship halls, is that they aren't very much in favor of banning the paraphernalia," said Skinner, a senior from Wichita. "Most of that is because a lot of people aren't sure that it's enforceable; a lot of them aren't sure that it's necessary."
Today's Weather
Sunny. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Edited by Laura Kubicki
HI: 36
LO: 25
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