Having recently completed the Phage Research Program at the world-class Johns Hopkins University, SAF alumnus Yangchen Zheng talks about his experience.
 

Why did you apply to this program at Johns Hopkins University?

Yes, London, Cambridge, and Edinburgh can keep you busy, with tons of things to do. But the pretty little villages dotted around the UK are equally important when it comes to understanding the culture of this land. We’ve gone deep into the countryside and dug out these hidden gems for you to explore.

At a graduation ceremony this month at Arizona State University (ASU), Mahiro Watanabe took center stage. The SAF Scholar, who had earned honor roll status in the Global Launch program, was elected by his teachers to give a speech.

“He was outstanding! I’m truly not just saying that either,” said Claire McLaughlin, Lead International Educator at Global Launch for ASU. “It was so heartfelt that it gave me goosebumps.”

An Exciting Trip to Taronga Zoo

After a stressful studying period, my friends and I decided to go to visit Taronga Zoo. Australia is very famous for its lovely kangaroos and koalas. Therefore, it was such a great experience for us to get close to those animals and relax ourselves.

After a year-long preparation, I finally embarked on a journey that I have been dreaming of since I was young. For an English major, a chance to go to Europe and bask in the beautiful architecture, rich Renaissance history, and different languages is a dream come true. Traveling is definitely on the very top of my to-do list, and I have serious intentions of soaking up the rich history and culture of Europe. For many people too, traveling in Europe is a must and ‘doing’ as many places as possible seems to be the purpose of studying abroad.

Whether you’re preparing to study abroad for the first time or beginning another semester overseas, maximize your experience with these tips from SAF American University Alumna Rebecca Yan.

SAF Alumni Xiang Li is among a new generation of women in science. While studying abroad, she opened up about the challenges of being a female in a male-dominated field.
Seated in a university classroom one day, watching professors assess candidates for a lab manager position, Xiang Li noted something peculiar.When evaluating equals, she said, professors of both sexes time and again awarded higher marks to male applicants than to female ones. "I’m a female student studying engineering and I find something strange in this research environment," Li said. She’s not alone.

Coming from a tiny country, Brunei, with a total population of only 420 thousand, I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Arizona in the US. I studied there through The Study Abroad Foundation (SAF) and they were incredibly helpful, making the entire process smooth and less stressful. My stay there for one academic year exceeded all the expectations that I could have had.

As a new student at Keio University in Japan, Genki Tamura felt confident that he could strike up a conversation in English with any one of his classmates, “When I was in high school, I was very good at English. Actually, I was second to none.” he said.

Then reality hit. On campus, students who had returned from living and studying abroad discussed movies, news and social activities with a command of English that caught him by surprise: “So many returnees were talking in English with each other, and I couldn't break into their conversations, which mortified me very much.”

My experience at Berkeley studying overseas was exciting, but I once worried about it very much before going abroad. My first concern was the English language. Although I have been learning English for more than 10 years, I thought my insufficient vocabulary might be a problem.