By Khalia Lewter
If you’ve had the desire to travel abroad, but haven’t figured out where to begin to search, William Peace University has a program on campus that can help you achieve these goals. Traveling abroad while in college is one of the many ways to make your college experience memorable, and the WPU’s study abroad program wants to guide you along that journey.
The program itself is a partnership between William Peace University and a study abroad company called EF/Study abroad, an international education program that’s been established since the year 1965. This program is most known for partnering with top colleges to help students travel and learn multidisciplinary studies in the U.S and across the globe.
This partner program has been going steady with William Peace for at least 20 years, according to one of the program coordinators, Kathy Corley, an instructor at WPU.
“My first one that I went on was in 2007, but [the program] probably went on 10 years before that, so at least a good 20 years or so it’s been around,” said Corley.
She adds that the school at that time was still known as Peace College, an all girls preparatory school.
The purpose of this program is to give students the opportunity to venture outside of their comfort zones, explore different cultures, and experience how to interact with people that are different from themselves, Corley said. Some of the benefits that students can expect to receive from attending are gaining 3 academic credit hours, a bonus to your resume when applying to jobs, and ultimately just a once in a lifetime college experience.
Academic credit for the trip is structured so that students receive 2 credit hours for the trip itself, with an additional 3rd credit hour earned by completing a seven-week informational pre-spring course designed to help students prepare.
Corley states that in terms of benefits from the trip itself, students can expect to have all round trip flights as well as room accommodations taken care of, an itinerary for every step of the way, a full time tour director, which accompanies the tour group 24/7 to all travel destinations.
The students can expect all breakfast meals and half of the dinner meals to be handled and provided for you.
“All the logistical headaches of travel are taken care of, the entrance sites, ground transportation, everything is included,” said Corley.
The study abroad program holds their trips every year in May after final class grades and after the graduation ceremony. Corley reflected on some of the destinations of the trips that she attended throughout the years.
“We did Japan, Costa Rica, we also did Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, England, France, and Ireland. Ireland was this past May,” she said.
In May of 2025, the study abroad program will be traveling to these European cities: Berlin, Prague, Krakow, and Vienna. These trips will take place in a span of 10 days.
On the trip, students will visit some of the historical sites, such as, Auschwitz-Birkenau, City of Dresden, Glowny Square, Hofburg Palace, Charles Bridge, and more.
The cost of the program ranges from $4,089 to $4,579; however, the price is dependent on how many travelers there are in the group. There are scholarships to help lower the cost. Currently the Ragland Travel Grant is offering $850 and is only accessible to full time students who have a 2.6 GPA.
The program does provide a payment plan, but the earlier you start the plan, the more time you have to pay it off. This will result in the payments being smaller.
For more information about the trip click on the EF/Study Abroad link at bottom. To get in contact with one of the study abroad coordinators email Dr. Jen Blush (jmblush@peace.edu), Dawn Dillion (ddillon@peace.edu), or Professor Kathy Corley (kcorley@peace.edu).
EF/StudyAbroad Link: https://www.efstudyabroad.com/professors-trip/2783323NF
Photos courtesy of Kathy Corley
Video made by Elizabeth Condall