PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The COVID-19 pandemic has brought most study abroad programs to a halt, but some students have been able to go overseas this semester. Many colleges and universities hope to have most of their overseas programs back in the fall.
Elijah Pettet is the only student studying in Scotland this semester through Arcadia University in Glenside.
“Every expectation that I had, everything that I was looking forward to was canceled," he said.
His time in Scotland has been more about introspection than exploration.
“I had hoped to travel around Europe a little bit, you know, see the sights, get an idea of a different culture, but I’ve been locked down to five miles," he added. "I have hardly been able to explore Scotland, let alone Europe.”
Kimberly Hickey planned to study in Australia this past fall, but that was canceled. She instead went to Scotland, but not for the full year.
”This semester I was supposed to still be in Scotland, but with the restrictions, I didn’t feel it would be worth it to go back," she said. "I just stayed here and had all my stuff sent home.”
“In the old days, students would kind of fly off to Europe every weekend, and that’s just not possible. Their focus has to be Scotland and learning about Scottish culture and identity," said Dr. Hamish Thompson. He has been the director of Scotland Programs for Arcadia University for 10 years.
Typically, 80 percent of Arcadia students study overseas.
“If we weren’t in a pandemic, we would have them in Italy and Spain, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Australia and New Zealand," said Andrew Law, who heads Arcadia's global studies program.
They expect to be able to send students to all those locations, except Australia and New Zealand, in the fall.
Sara Sequin, the associate director of Education Abroad & Overseas Campuses at Temple University, says about 100 students studied in Rome or Tokyo this semester.
"They were willing to really deal with a lot of uncertainty, changing circumstances, new requirements," said Sequin. She revealed that about 500 students have applied for fall 2021 programs. That number of students approximates pre-pandemic levels.
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