FOREIGN VISITS POPULAR AMONG STUDENTS

Students studying foreign languages at Southeast Missouri State University have the opportunity to study internationally in one of five universities at an affordable cost.

The five universities in direct exchange agreement with the department of foreign languages at Southeast are in Angers and Montpellier, France; Madrid, Spain; Jena, Germany; and Queretaro, Mexico. More than a dozen Southeast students plan to study in a foreign country for one or two semesters during this academic year.

Dr. Dieter Jedan, chairman of the department of foreign languages, said that within the past five years more Southeast students have expressed interest in and are going to a foreign country to study. Last year 50 to 60 percent of French and Spanish majors studied abroad. About 70 percent of German majors studied in Germany. The national average at comparable institutions is only 10 to 15 percent of foreign language majors studying abroad, he said.

Clint Morton, a senior majoring in German and marketing at Southeast, has been to Germany four times. He studied at Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany, through the spring 1998 semester and also completed an internship during the summer 1999 semester. He said he believes he has an advantage in his future career because he has experienced German culture."You need to spend at least a semester in the country you are studying," said Morton.

He said the best way to learn German was to go to Germany. As a student in Germany, Morton received language and cultural assistance from a host family who provided him with weekend trips and some meals. Morton also took a course for international students and received assistance from tutors who gave him a tour of the region.

Jedan said studying internationally is economically feasible. Students pay Southeast's incidental fees and costs for airfare. Food and housing are kept affordable because students are able to apply for financial assistance through one of the endowed scholarships offered.

Currently there are 11 international students studying at Southeast through the exchange program. Mahdi Mekki, a business and marketing student from Montpellier, is attending Southeast this semester. At the University of Montpellier, it is a requirement for business and marketing students to attend a university in a foreign country for a semester. Mekki has traveled extensively throughout Europe, so he decided to take the opportunity to visit the United States. He said he chose Southeast because of its high-quality business program. He currently is taking international business and management courses.

Mekki has one piece of advice for American students at Southeast: "You should go to foreign countries, especially France."Laetitia Haffray, a history student from Angers, France, is attending Southeast for the fall 1999 and spring 2000 semesters. She became interested in coming to the United States when she took English as an elective. Her teacher introduced the idea and her parents agreed to allow her to study in the United States.

Haffray spent six months working in England before starting the fall semester at Southeast. She said she enjoys traveling across the world and learning different cultures. Not only does she attend classes here, but she also tutors students in French.

Thomas Suesse, a student from Friedrich-Schiller Universitaet in Jena, Germany majoring in mathematics, came to the United States to learn English. He said that learning a foreign language increases job opportunities available to him.

Jedan said students often go through five steps before studying in a foreign country to make them feel "confident and comfortable" that they can survive in a foreign country. The five steps are enrolling in a foreign language of their choice; watching international films and attending lectures from students and faculty who have studied abroad; participating in internships; traveling overseas for two or four week periods with faculty; and living on campus with a foreign student to earn one credit hour.