For psychology and criminology double major Caroline Hinkebein, exploring the world meant going to the University of South Carolina — nearly 1,000 miles away from her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. But her concept of world travel broadened when she got the opportunity to study abroad in Europe her freshman year.
“Everybody says when you go to college, you have to study abroad because you'll never get an opportunity like that the rest of your life,” says Hinkebein, who is a junior in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.
USC offers a variety of opportunities to learn about and experience other cultures. Students can participate in full-year, semester-long or short-term study abroad programs across the globe, something that was especially appealing to Hinkebein.
“But I didn't know if a whole semester or year was feasible for me because of the cost and because I already live so far from home. I just couldn't imagine not going home for an entire semester or year, and I didn't want to miss out on the opportunities on campus. So, when I saw that USC offers Maymesters, that really interested me because it was like a week or two-week period where I could study abroad.”
She went to an interest meeting about a Maymester in Athens, Greece, a perfect fit because it allowed her to get a taste of a different culture without being away from campus for too long. In Athens, she took an information literacy and technology class that connected course content with the experience exploring the historic sites like the Acropolis and the Panathenaic Stadium. She also went to the headquarters of CNN Greece and DPG Digital Media, an advertising company in Greece.
“We got to experience more than what you see on your Pinterest board,” she says. “A local gave us a tour of the city, and we went to an art museum — just different touristy things that one would do there. We had one or two free days where we could go explore whatever we wanted, so me and my friends explored other ancient ruins. We didn't stay in Athens the entire time, we went to Delphi, which is a landmark related to the ancient Greek gods and goddesses, and took a boat to another island in Greece called Hydra. We got the best of both worlds.”
After going to Greece, she knew she wanted to go abroad again. During her sophomore year, she heard about a Maymester in Copenhagen, Denmark, and jumped at the opportunity. The two-week program featured a course exploring the origins and inspirations of Danish pop-culture touchstones like Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales. She also traveled to other cities in Denmark to visit the original Lego factory and explore Denmark while learning about the country’s rich history.
“I know American culture, inventions and history affects the rest of the world at large a lot, but it was cool to learn how the rest of the world impacts us too,” she says. She says traveling and experiencing other cultures has renewed her desire to learn and expanded her worldview.
“We're such a small part of the world,” she says. “Columbia, Kansas City or just America in general is such a small fraction of the world. It's our everything, but it's such a small fraction of what's out there and what matters. It sounds kind of cheesy, but it's different to think and learn about it than it is to experience it. Like I looked up tons of pictures of Athens and Copenhagen beforehand, but it was so different to see it in person.”
Hinkebein isn’t sure yet where her journey will take her next. After graduating, she would like to go to law school. She says that USC has given her the tools she needs to succeed, both through her time abroad and experiences on campus, including her role as a Capstone scholar.
“There's always something going on,” she says. “You can't even walk by Greene Street without seeing something fun or academically enriching happening. And being on the Capstone ambassadors team taught me so many leadership and public speaking skills. USC has so many opportunities. You just have to take them.”