Study Abroad Application Essay

Study Abroad Application Essay A semester abroad serves as a central component of any International Relations education at Hendrix College; benefiting Hendrixians both personally and academically by incorporating global perspectives to our study. The educational and professional opportunities afforded by the newly-christened Cyprus program caught my attention immediately upon announcement. Studying in the Eastern Mediterranean would enrich my liberal arts experience considerably by allowing me to further both my political and photographic studies in a new, diverse environment. I believe that preparation for such an experience cannot be understood as a sum of individual skills, nor as a crash-course on Cyprian heritage and politics. Rather,

First among these, Cyprus’s location is intensely relevant to contemporary International Relations. As local perspective is crucial to the understanding of political phenomena, studying issues such as the Syrian Civil War and the Arab-Israeli conflict will be a substantively different experience in Cyprus than in Conway. Secondly, the University of Nicosia offers photography classes that Hendrix cannot. In the field of journalism, industry training programs (like the BBC’s) are very specific regarding the type of applicants they accept. Most are looking for freshly graduated students without “real-world” experience but with technical training. Unfortunately, Hendrix does not offer the classes necessary for me to obtain this type of education. Luckily, this study abroad program could at least partially fill the gap in my studies. The importance of photojournalistic training to my individual life goals cannot be understated. Whether as a diplomat or documentary photographer, my aptitude for condensing and communicating information will directly impact my professional performance. In conclusion, I truly believe studying in Cyprus would both broaden and deepen my Hendrix education, and my life