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Undergraduate Experience in Europe

Interested in traveling to Europe?

There are many opportunities available to support research, travel, and study abroad. Learn how to apply for funding through IES grants and fellowships, or read about Education Abroad through the Office of Global Learning.

Going abroad is a rewarding experience that comes with unique challenges. Below you can hear firsthand from students about their experiences visiting, studying, and working in Europe, and listen to their advice about how to prepare for going abroad.

Student Perspectives on Going Abroad


Success Stories from Past Student Awardees

Want to learn more about past student projects? Check out the 2022 awardees page.

Melanie Marshall, Frederic Conger Wood Research Fellowship 2022

Transition Towns in the United Kingdom: Creating a Future for All Beings

Melanie spent her summer studying Transition Towns in England, a movement in which communities choose to work towards decarbonizing their towns while creating a socially just, actively participatory, and caring culture for all.

"Traveling and doing research on my own increased my confidence to be able to navigate foreign places and talk to people and create friendships across many different cultures and strengthened my trust in where my curiosity leads me." 

Melanie Marshall stands in front of Stonehenge, accompanied by a quote recounting how traveling abroad through the Conger Wood Research Fellowship increased her confidence.
Lia Sokol describes her experience in London in a photo posing with one of her professors.

Lia Sokol, Michael J. Harum Memorial Award

Iron Fists in Velvet Gloves: Non-Violent Repression in Electoral Autocracies

Lia worked with Professor Katerina Tertytchnaya at University College London to examine the ways that governments manage dissent through nonviolent, but still repressive, means.

"My time in London was a dream come true, and I could not have asked for a more rewarding experience from an academic and personal perspective. This experience combined my professional interests with the opportunity to travel overseas!"


European Studies Minors in the News

Our minor in European Studies can take you places! Learn more from the students' experience below, or visit the minor page to find out how you can make it work for you. 

IES Minor Sets Students on International Research Path

"Through more than 7,000 miles of travel together, Sophie Partington ’21 and Laura DeMassa ’21 have gone from friends in French class to roommates in Italy and research partners in France.

Partington, a sociology and French double major, and DeMassa, a government and English double major, are European studies minors who spent last summer exploring the evolution and impact of national immigration policy in France. Their in-depth research – conducted in French and including field interviews at NGOs serving the immigrant population – assessed whether obligatory French language training is beneficial to migrants."

Read more about Sophia and Laura's fieldwork abroad.

Sophie Partington and Laura DeMassa pose in front of the Eiffel Tower