The 4th in the series of the Study Abroad Language Development Workshops was completed on Thursday, October 15th. In this meeting, the participants examined two main topics: application essays, and “Breaking the Ice.”
The first hour delivered an overview of two essential components of the application for graduate school. These are the personal statement and the statement of purpose. The presenter, Al Evans from the Center for Language Education, pointed out the differences between the two and guided the participants in understanding strategies for each. A workshop is not complete without some practice, and the participants wrote sample paragraphs for each of the two essays.
The second hour continued the long-term theme of cross cultural communication to enhance the study abroad experience. During the session entitled “Breaking the Ice,” the students learned a variety of potential strategies for starting conversations with complete strangers during study abroad. These were immediately put to use in practice exercises. Students were required to meet unknown classmates in the workshop, and start conversations. Intensifying the challenge, students were then asked to approach a group of students and initiate conversation. By the end of the 2nd hour, participants had gained basic facility in these arduous challenges.
The workshops, created in collaboration between SUSTech Global and the Center for Language Education, will continue developing study abroad skills for 2 more weeks. Our next workshop will be held on Thursday, October 22nd.
