BGSU senior studies politics course in Europe
Written by John Krudy | | jkrudy@toledofreepress.comStudying abroad during college doesn’t have to eat up a full semester.
But Glenn McBride, who will be a senior at BGSU this fall, spent the first four weeks of his summer earning three credits in Europe.
“It was kind of a whirlwind,” said McBride, who is a Sylvania resident.
The course’s title was “Business and Politics in the European Union.” He and his classmates took three hours of coursework every day on the institutions and issues of Europe and spent the rest of day exploring cities and taking tours.
McBride said the course cost about $8,500, but students should plan on taking a few thousand dollars for expenses.
“The classes and trips were interesting,” he said. “But the people were best — just meeting someone in Berlin and seeing their viewpoints.”
McBride said his knowledge of Spanish didn’t ease his passage through England, France, Belgium and Germany. But it was not a big problem, since so many people in Europe speak English.
“If you just try to make an effort in their language, like saying ‘hi,’” McBride said, “they’d help. But they could be rude if you didn’t try.”
BGSU sponsors 11 short-term programs in 12 different countries, also including Mexico and China. UT offers programs at 35 sites in 24 countries. Both encourage students, especially those who study business or languages, to study abroad during their bachelor’s degree programs.
McBride said London was the best city overall, and the “most familiar,” but he said Berlin was the best place to vacation. He was surprised at the similarities between average Europeans and Americans.
“Every person on the street has a lot of the same viewpoints,” McBride said. “Before I went over there, I thought of these countries as just foreign partners. Now I understand a lot more about them.”
The rest of McBride’s summer will be a little less exciting.
“I’ll be working,” he said, to make that money back.
