Capturing the 'study abroad' experience
Published 25 May 2011
In 2011 LUMS held its first-ever Study Abroad Photo Competition to show examples of the great experience students get from this opportunity. The winning photo was taken by a LUMS Accounting and Finance student, Zhifang Zhang: ‘Mad Halloween at Wisconsin Madison’. Being able to combine her studies in the UK with a year abroad in the USA enriched Zhifang’s experience and made a significant impact on her learning experience:
“Studying abroad in U.S. was one of the best choices I ever made. The University of Wisconsin Business School has a beautiful campus which comprised 933 acres along the shore of Lake Mendota. At Wisconsin, you will be part of an academic environment in which you are challenged and encouraged to grow intellectually by your peers and professors.
“I went into the program with an idea of certain goals that I wanted to achieve, things that I wanted to experience, but came out with far more than that. The tastes, sights and sounds of the U.S. are so different from anything I had ever experienced in either Lancaster or my hometown of Guangzhou in China.
“While abroad, I had the opportunity to take part in the State Street Halloween Party in Madison, Wisconsin. State Street has gained recognition as a gathering place for tens of thousands of party-goers from several states on Halloween. My friends and I had a great night there and it's where the photo I submitted to the competition was taken. The friends I made and the courses I took while abroad will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life.″
The winning photos
The second place in the competition went to Laura Stanford, a LUMS Masters student from Canada for whom Study Abroad meant something quite different:
“A huge part of my study abroad experience at Lancaster University is about travelling throughout England. This photo is from my first trip to London... but you’ll notice the maple leaves placed in the photo which is symbolic of my home country Canada.″
The third place was joint award for Chris, a BBA student from LUMS who spent a term in Bangkok and James, an environmental science student who experienced a live volcano in Iceland.
