Pictured above: Moe Hattori studies international relations, specializing in English, at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan.
Courtesy of Sophia George | The Crow’s Nest
By Sophia George
The University of South Florida is one of the leading universities in the country when it comes to study abroad and exchange programs.
Partnerships with universities in Japan, Australia, France, Brazil and more bring in students from all different backgrounds, allowing the university to be as diverse and multicultural as it is.
The COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on these programs for a while, but they have come back in full swing.
According to the USF InfoCenter, there are 5,884 international students enrolled across all USF campuses for the spring 2022 semester. Of that total number, 136 are enrolled at the USF St. Petersburg campus.
These students come from every corner of the world, with their own cultures and educational systems, but they have all come to USF with a similar mission: to expand their knowledge and understanding of American culture.
Annabel Peach, a 19-year-old student from the University of Nottingham in England, is studying politics and international relations.
“It helps my degree being here because I get to communicate with different nationalities and people,” Peach told The Crow’s Nest.
The main thing she wishes to take away from studying abroad is the experience of living within a whole different culture. She also wants to gain more independence and acquire new skills one could only learn from this once in a lifetime opportunity.
“[USF’s] exchange program is really broad, so I’m meeting people from all around the world, and I feel like I’m immersed in so many cultures,” Peach said.
Peach has had a positive experience so far, but she has found it difficult to adapt to and understand, “how different the classes and [American] college system are.”
Twenty-year-old Moe Hattori is from Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. She is studying international relations with a specialty in English.
“In Japan, everyone comes from the same background, and I wanted to be somewhere more multicultural,” Hattori told The Crow’s Nest.
When asked why she chose USF, Hattori stated, “I wanted to improve my English skills and learn about the different cultures of the people of the United States.”
She said the most challenging part about going to school in the U.S. so far has been speaking and listening in on English lectures.
As international relations students, both Peach and Hattori are gaining invaluable information and skills from this experience.
Immersing oneself in a new and unfamiliar culture is one of the best methods of learning and the programs offered by USF give all students the chance to do so.
For more information and to find out how you can apply for an exchange program at USF, visit www.usf.edu/world/education-abroad/programs/exchange-programs.aspx
