Study Abroad - College of Arts and Sciences

Many of our students take advantage of Santa Clara’s excellent study abroad program (usually in the fall quarter of their junior year). Here are some of the places our students have gone over the past couple of years:

Daniel Albers

National University of Ireland, Galway. “My semester abroad in Galway, Ireland was one of the happiest and most enlightening experiences of my undergraduate career. I had the opportunity to meet with Classics students from various cultures and learn from lecturers whose perspective on ancient Greece and Rome was valuable and informative.”

Person posing in front of historic ruin in Athens, Greece.

Jordan Clark

Athens, Greece. "Things are going great here in Athens. I'm actually traveling a lot on the weekends -- it's nice to get away from such a busy area for a while. The past two weekends I went to some of the Greek islands, Santorini and Mykonos, and those were beautiful. The weekend before I visited Eleusis with my class, which was too cool. We got to see the whole site, and I think one of my favorite parts was seeing the indentations left by the doors to the temple. I also took a day trip to Nafplion, which is south of Athens, and that was beautiful. The town looks more Venetian than Greek, so it was like going to a different country for the day. We climbed up to the top of the Venetian castle and had an amazing view of the Mediterranean - I can't use enough superlatives to describe this trip so far. Even more exciting news: my last Athens on Site class was held at the Theater of Dionysus and the Acropolis!!!! It was my first time seeing either, and I was so excited. Everyone in the class probably thought I was a freak, but it was unbelievable seeing something in real life that I'd only read about before. I was surprised with how well the theater was preserved, even though the Roman one next door obviously looked newer. The Acropolis was just unbelievable -- the giant stone gate in front, the Temple of Nike, the Erechtheion, the Parthenon, everything just blew my mind. I also stole an olive from Athena's olive tree (don't worry, it was on the ground, not the tree, so technically I just picked it up) and I'm bringing it back with me. I'm also doing a semi-internship here at the British School of Archaeology that involves moving some pieces of antiquity and preserving rare books, so hopefully that should add to my experience here in Athens."

Four people standing on a path in a grassy, rural area.

Brenna Donnellan

Kenya. "This photo was taken in Amboseli National Park. Normally it is illegal to get out of your vehicle in a national park, but my class was the first ever to be asked to do plant research in the newly made elephant and giraffe exclosure within the park. So I got to be one of the first 30 researchers in the area and was allowed to run around a national park on foot—very cool!"

A person standing in front of ancient ruins at Sounion.

Kaitlyn-Bailey Finley

"I am standing in front of the Temple of Poseidon in Souion. It is just one of the many field trips that the Greece program has available to students. The picture alone cannot describe the beauty that is Greece, and for any person interested in history there is so much to see and learn. Yiassas!"

A person in a coat standing outdoors in Scotland.

Alvaro Pires

University of St. Andrews, Scotland. "I spent my junior year abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. As one of the oldest universities in the English-speaking world, its offerings in classics are phenomenal and wide ranging -- I was able to study an array of material ranging from Silver Latin literature, to Roman archaeology, to Hellenistic ethics, and more. In addition, I was able to take my Classical experience beyond the classroom via trips to the Continent, where I had the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the Ancients among abounding ruins. By far, my time abroad has been one of the major highlights of my time at Santa Clara University and has greatly enriched my appreciation for the role of classical antiquity in our society and cultural identity."

A person standing beside a stone column in an ancient ruin site.

Lisa Rozakis

Arcadia Center, Athens, Greece; Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel. Lisa also spent a summer following the steps of Alexander the Great through Greece and Turkey!

A person taking a photo near a monument in Athens.

Linda Urbonas

“I studied in Athens, in the Fall of 2005. It was pretty much the most amazing learning experience I’ve ever had. The best part was learning about sites in class during the week, and visiting those sites on the weekends. Oh, and of course, seeing the Acropolis every day for three and a half months.”