Study Abroad Fair showcases opportunities for students

Photo courtesy of Mira Crane ’27

Study Abroad Fair is held every year at MHC.

By Mira Crane ‘27

Global Editor

The 2026 Study Away Fair, held on Sept. 22 in Chapin Auditorium, was an opportunity for students on campus to meet with representatives from a diverse array of study abroad programs, as well as to become acquainted with resources offered by Mount Holyoke College. 

A handy flyer was given upon sign in that listed the different programs offered by Mount Holyoke College and the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives, allowing students to peruse their different options before choosing which tables they wanted to check out.

Right at the entrance to the auditorium was a table for the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives — the hub for both international and domestic engagement opportunities at the College — with the Director of Study Abroad, April Stroud, and the study abroad peer advisors. 

Also represented were tables for scholarships and fellowships, MHC reciprocal exchange — a program where MHC students directly enroll at their host university and Mount Holyoke receives students in turn — and the Weissman Center for Leadership. 

As Adelia Pope, the assistant director of study abroad at the McCulloch Center, explained,“The fair allowed students to meet with representatives from 31 international study abroad programs and eight  domestic study away opportunities, including MHC's own Semester in DC. Students also had the opportunity to learn about scholarships and fellowships offered for study away.” According to Pope, 225 students had attended the fair. 

The McCulloch Center supports over 150 approved study abroad programs. Programs represented at the fair included Advanced Studies in England, AIT Budapest, Associated Kyoto Program, AMIDEAST Education Abroad, Arcadia Abroad, CET Academic Programs, CIEE, CUPA Paris, CYA Study Abroad in Greece, DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia, IES Abroad, SIT Study Abroad and many  more. 

For students looking to spend a semester away from Mount Holyoke College, but within the United States, a notable side of the auditorium was reserved for domestic programs, including Marine Biological Laboratory, Bard College in NYC, Sea Education Association, Semester Cinema, Trinity La MaMa Performing Arts Program and Williams-Mystic Coastal and Ocean Studies.

Some study abroad programs are eligible to fulfill requirements for Nexus internships or research projects. Such programs were marked with a hashtag on the Study Away Fair flyer, and are noted on the McCulloch Center’s study abroad website. 

Study abroad programs can also correspond to fellowships, and there are many scholarships available for study abroad, including Mount Holyoke College’s need-based Laurel Fellowship, the Freeman-Asia Scholarship, the Gilman Scholarship and DAAD Rise Germany. 

Students dependent on need-based aid now have more opportunities to study abroad this year because “The DIS program, with locations in Copenhagen and Stockholm, will be Laurel Preferred for Fall 2027,” Pope explained. This means that students eligible for the Mount Holyoke College Laurel Fellowship, because of  demonstrated financial need, will now receive a need-based fellowship for the DIS program in Fall 2027. This supplemental fellowship for DIS is only available for Fall 2027. 

Pope also stated that, “more programs through the School for Field Studies have been added to the approved program list, and all are now Laurel Preferred.” 

When asked what students who are looking to study abroad should do this semester, Pope responded, “[they] should familiarize themselves with information on the study abroad website and monitor the [McCulloch Center]  events calendar for information sessions and advising events. The next Request to Study Abroad deadline is Nov 30, 2026 for students who want to study abroad for the Fall 2027 semester or AY 2027-28.”

Madeleine Diesl ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Study-abroad diaries: Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23 shares a day in the life in Copenhagen, Denmark

Photo courtesy of Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23. This semester, Catelyn Fitzgerals ’23 studied food anthropology and Danish language in Denmark.

By Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23

Contributing Writer

Studying abroad is a time of self-discovery. By the end, you may become a person that you would never expect. Maybe you pick up new hobbies or find a new dream career path. Maybe, like me, you will become a regular at 7-Eleven. This is where I started my Friday morning in Copenhagen. Nothing leaves you fiending for a cold bottle of orange juice like a night spent in a sweaty club. To start my day, I miraculously managed to roll out of bed and get ready in time for the bus. After collecting my much needed OJ and a blueberry muffin, I headed to Danish Language and Culture, my first class of the day. The day’s class looked different from our usual recitations of tongue-twisting Danish dialogues. Instead, we workshopped ideas for our final papers on Danish culture. While I opted to write about Danish author and cultural superstar Hans Cristian Andersen, several of my classmates opted instead to write about a topic that Americans might find puzzling: the Danish welfare system. Denmark serves as just one example of the thriving welfare systems that are prevalent throughout Scandinavia. It might be hard to imagine how they succeed when in America government welfare is often underfunded and subjected to the whims of political turnover. Denmark’s welfare system relies on deep-seated societal trust to keep it going. This collectivism pays off, with Danes — and foreigners staying for an extended period — receiving free healthcare and other services.

After Danish, I headed to my next class, Anthropology of Food, where we mulled over the true meaning of “home-cooked,” which naturally made me very hungry. I met up with some of my roommates after class and we walked to one of Copenhagen’s buzzing centers, Nørreport, for one of the city’s only affordable meals: falafel pitas. Danish food is not known for its spice, nor, frankly, its flavor in general, but one thing Copenhagen does right is have a shawarma shop on every corner. The prevalence of foods from the Middle East is one of the more obvious signs of increasing multiculturalism in Denmark. Immigration into the country is the source of much political and social controversy in Denmark, as it has been across Europe over the past decade. Food is one of the tools through which Denmark has resisted the influx of non-Western immigrants and their cultures. I remember learning in Anthropology of Food about one famous incident dubbed “Frikadeller-gate,” which involved an attempt to mandate serving pork in school cafeterias, despite strict rules against consumption of the meat in many religions, notably Islam. The ease with which Danish society integrates some parts of immigrant cultures while attacking others is almost as puzzling as it is expected. 

We brought our tzatziki-laden pitas to a local park, where it seemed the entirety of Copenhagen had gathered to sunbathe, since the temperature had finally eclipsed 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The green surrounding the central lake was dotted with people sipping iced lattes and lying out on blankets. My roommates and I spent a while enjoying the sun before taking the bus back to our apartment in a quiet residential neighborhood just outside the city. After rushing to get ready in time for the next bus — which I missed, in typical fashion — I headed off to meet with a friend who was visiting from Berlin. A 20-minute walk, metro ride and bus trip later, I arrived at Reffen, an outdoor food market placed along one of Copenhagen’s idyllic canals. The market, which is the place to go to try cuisines from around the world, had just opened as the weather started to become tolerable. After waiting in a couple impossibly slow lines — the pace in Copenhagen is anything but fast — I happily stuffed down my chana masala and veggie empanadas. Once the sun went down and we couldn’t stand to be outside any longer, my friends and I parted ways, and I embarked on the lengthy journey home. I arrived to my roommates eating dinner together and, before long, I fell asleep in front of our current favorite show, Love Island, which we’d been chipping away at all semester

Abroad Perspectives: Astha Kiran KC ’21 returns from England

BY CASEY ROEPKE ’21 

Photo courtesy of Astha Kiran Kc ’21

Astha Kiran Kc ’21 spent her fall semester abroad in London, England.

Astha Kiran KC ’21 just returned from a semester abroad in London. As an economics major, she studied at the University College London — a public research university — and took liberal arts courses focusing in economics. 

What was the most memorable moment of your experience? 

At the end of term, I took part in the sustainable fashion show as a model and walked for creative student designers and prominent sustainable fashion brands in London. 

What was the hardest thing to adjust to? 

The weather! I thought New England was bad and then I went to England — it was honestly really bad. I got about 15 days of sunshine in the three months that I was there. 

Was there anything that happened that surprised or struck you as unexpected? 

How friendly and approachable the people were. Most of the people at my university were always ready to help and it was quick to make friends. 

 What was your favorite new food that you tried? 

I followed a travel blog’s advice and went to this super cute chocolate-themed cafe. I tried their hot chocolate, and it was probably the best chocolate-related food I’ve ever tried. 

What advice do you have for someone who wants to study abroad? 

It’s going to be hard at first and you are going to miss Mount Holyoke, but you will create your own happiness as you explore new places, meet new people and discover your own favorite places abroad. 

Any other stories or experiences that you want to share? 

While I was in London, I went to Edinburgh and it was surreal to see how magical the city was! I took a Harry Potter tour with a local guide and visited the grave that inspired the names of many, many Harry Potter characters.