The Study Abroad programs USC offers are unlike any other school. At USC, you are not limited to the Study Abroad programs within your specialization (Viterbi Study Abroad), but you’re encouraged to explore opportunities within Dornsife and all the schools at USC. Whether it’s full semesters abroad, spring break overseas, or a Maymester, you can find the right opportunity.
Although I personally have yet to go abroad, my friend had the opportunity to go on a Maymester right after his freshman year. What’s a Maymester? A Maymester is a 3-4 week 4 unit study-abroad course that takes place at the end of the Spring semester. It’s the perfect opportunity for someone who doesn’t want to commit a whole semester to another country to go abroad. USC also offers fall lead-ins for those interested in traveling abroad before their Fall semester.
I sat down with my friend, Jay Campanell, to interview him about his time in Amsterdam this past Spring, and he had great things to say about the learning process, his adventures, and his overall experience abroad. Jay is a current sophomore majoring in Global Geodesign.
What was your Study Abroad program?
“I went on the SSCI 350 Maymester: International Geodesign. It is a required course for my major (oh no!!!), and I have to go on at least 2 of the Maymasters. The location and theme change yearly, so we get a new experience every time. This year, we went to Amsterdam to study how the Dutch are improving transportation and dealing with the housing crisis while making their cities more resilient and sustainable. It was three weeks in Amsterdam, with one week before in LA. The program started a week after finals out until mid/early June. We got to travel all over the Netherlands and met with public government officials, academic researchers, and private companies to better understand how the Dutch system works.”
Who was in your cohort? Was it more than just students in your major?
“It was a pretty mixed bag. There were 16 of us, with about half of the class in Geodesign, but the other half were Public Policy majors, IR majors, Sociology, Civil Engineers, and Architecture. Students from all years (freshmen to seniors who had just graduated) were on the trip, and I really enjoyed it. Everyone got along super well, and such a diverse group made the trip much more fun.”
What was the academic experience like?
“I learned a lot about design and the innovative practices the Dutch are implementing to improve their cities. For example, the amount of social housing there is incredible, and the nicest buildings are often devoted to affordable housing. What really intrigued me was the amount of emphasis the Dutch and a lot of Europe place on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They are rarely, if ever, discussed here in the States, but they are everywhere you go in the Netherlands. It was extremely intriguing to hear about how the Dutch are implementing them. They really care about creating more resilient communities and sustainable cities, so we spent a lot of time focusing on how they implemented such ideas.”
What fun experiences did you have?
“Too many to count. My life was complete going around trying different bakeries and cappuccinos and then laying down in the grass at a park. I did that almost every day; if I could, I would do that for the rest of my life. But in terms of experiences, there were so many. On the final day, we all went on a Wine and Cheese Canal tour as a group, and it was amazing getting to send off everyone in such a way.
One of the parts of the trip that is fun/funny to look back on now was our adventure to the Port of Rotterdam (Future Land). It was a tumultuous journey. We departed the hotel at 7 am and probably returned at 8 pm. Our train broke down, so we had to get off in The Hague, and then we had to wait for the next train, which was another hour, and then take another train to a small town where we then took a tiny boat in the middle of the cold rain to get to future land. Once we were there, it was actually cool. We saw the most giant boat in the world! It had been docked there before being sent away (it builds oil rigs in the oceans). We saw so many shipping containers, and it blew my mind that this is how everything we consume gets here; the scale was truly staggering.”
What was the application process like? How did finances work for your program?
“We had to apply through the Dornsife Maymester portal and submit a short personal statement on why we were interested! I got a scholarship from Dornsife, which covered most of the housing costs we had to pay. I did pay out of pocket for my flights. Most of the meals were included in our housing costs, and all the activities we did together as a group were included in the housing costs.”
Would you go abroad on another Maymester (or any Study Abroad) experience?
“Absolutely!!! Honestly, those few weeks were some of the best I’ve had. I learned so much in such a short time, and the amount of experience I gained is invaluable to anything I could have learned in a lecture.”
Thank you to Jay Campanell for taking the time to interview with me! You can find him @jaycampanell on Instagram or Jay-Campanell on LinkedIn.
