Correction Appended: A previous version of this article stated that Reilly believes the Ireland program is interesting. A correction has been made to accurately denote it as the Northern Ireland program.
Ohio University offers a variety of study abroad and study away programs through the Office of Global Opportunities, and more students have participated in such programs since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the pandemic, during the 2018-19 academic year, 1,174 students studied abroad according to OGO. After the COVID-19 travel restrictions, OU and the U.S. as a whole saw a steady rise in students participating in study away and study abroad programs.
In the 2021-22 academic year, 583 students took part in global programs that OGO tracks. The numbers increased to 801 in 2022-23, then to 995 in 2023-24, with OGO estimating 937 students for 2024-25. The OGO also notes that in the 2023-24 term, the Marching 110 traveled to London.
During the 2022-23 academic year, 280,716 students nationwide studied abroad, which is a 49% increase from the previous year, according to the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs. The sharp rise reflects the rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic had halted study abroad programs across the country.
“OGO works with faculty, departments and colleges to identify and develop opportunities that support student growth and learning in a global context,” OU’s OGO Director Catherine Marshall said. “We work to identify and break down barriers associated with participating in a global opportunity and offer daily drop-in advising hours to help students identify the opportunity that best fits their interests and needs.”
Marshall highlighted the importance and unique nature of studying abroad.
“Adding a global opportunity to a college career allows students to participate in a high-impact learning practice that earns credits towards their degree while allowing them to put their classroom learning into a global context,” Marshall said.
According to OGO, less than 10% of students study abroad during their four years in college, and it can help students stand out from fellow applicants in the workforce.
“Whether on a program in DC, Tokyo, Chiang Mai, or Edinburgh, students develop career-ready skills while honing their cross-cultural communication and adaptability,” Marshall said. “The friendships and networking connections made on a global opportunity can serve students long beyond graduation.”
OU senior Bobby Reilly participated in the Center for Law, Justice, and Culture’s (CLJC) Spring Break in Northern Ireland two-week program. As a political science major, studying the issues of human rights, the fight for Ireland’s independence from Great Britain and cultural conflicts was particularly interesting for him.
Reilly said he was always interested in the idea of studying abroad, but going into college, it was not something he thought much about for himself. When he took up his certificate in Law, Justice, and Culture, he started to look more at the opportunities they provided.
“Ireland is always someplace I wanted to go, and I had the opportunity not only to go and be where my family was originally from, but to also learn about topics that I'm innately interested in,” Reilly said.
Reilly believes the Northern Ireland program is particularly interesting due to the recency of the events and the lack of a language barrier.
One factor that Reilly was very grateful for was the opportunities provided by the university when it came to funding, particularly the First Passport Grant.
“It’s fairly easy to apply to, and if you get it, which I did, the university covers the cost of your passport,” Reilly said.
Any full-time undergraduate students looking to study abroad, receive financial aid, and who have not yet obtained their first adult passport are eligible for the passport grant.
“If you have the means, you have the sources for funding, and you can secure those through the university, I wholeheartedly recommend you go,” Reilly said.
Reilly had traveled out of the country to Canada before, but this was his first time traveling overseas.
“There's no better time in your life to travel. Whereas you have the amount of energy that we do, the willingness to go overseas, it's the time to strike out and see stuff you would not otherwise get the chance to experience,” Reilly said.
