Students at Kent State University recently returned from their summers abroad, but are students just having a good time or are their experiences impacting their futures? TV2’s Henna Thornberry has the story.

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Hundreds of students go abroad every semester at Kent State University. Kent State sponsors over 150 programs and 820 students participate every year.

Some of the programs range from 10 days to a summer session to a full semester or year abroad. Head of Education Abroad Advising Amber Bollinger says that anyone, with any major, can go. Bollinger says that going abroad is an investment in a student’s future and can continue to impact their lives.

However, Bollinger also said that going abroad can be a struggle for students with majors such as nursing due to their rigorous schedules. For students such as these, the summer programs are recommended because they are more flexible and only last one month during the summer. Students going on these programs with majors such as art or history can easily find applicable courses to correspond with their majors. Students with majors that do not correspond on a global level find difficulty in the real life application of their experiences. Going abroad then becomes a good time or a nice memory, as one student, Maria Cardillo, found.

Junior Visual Design Communication Major Maria Cardillo participated in the Florence Summer Institute in 2014. She originally thought her courses and experience there would apply to her major and impact her future. However she said that it did not work out but she still had a good time.

Kent State’s Office of Global Education provides services to help students market their time abroad to future employers and incorporate it into resumes. Bollinger said any student can benefit from this service and helps promote the “investment in their future.”