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Mention the words “study abroad” and it is almost guaranteed the phrase “life changing experience” will follow.

At Marist College, a great deal of emphasis is put on the opportunity for students to study abroad. The chance to receive an education in a foreign country is an experience many students often find they cannot miss.

“Studying abroad is pretty important to me,” said Jackie Brophy, a junior at Marist. “Everyone tells me it is going to be ‘life-changing’ so I’m excited to see how that works out.”

Brophy is one of the many fashion merchandising majors who is going to study abroad in the upcoming fall semester. Brophy plans on spending the first semester of her junior year in the historic fashion capital of London, England.

Infamous London landmark, Big Ben. Photo courtesy of frankthetank.files.wordpress.com

“I am excited to get to study in London,” said Brophy. “I like that I will be able to have many new experiences with people I go to school with here at Marist.”

For 45 years, the Marist International Program has offered students the opportunity to travel and study overseas. Through the Marist International Program, students can study a wide range of courses on any of the six different continents. From Europe all the way down to Australia, the variety of countries students can study in are numerous.

The fashion program at Marist is just one of the many courses a student can choose to study when abroad. For fashion majors, London and Italy are the two most popular locations to study in.

“I chose London because I wanted to get an international internship experience,” said Brophy. “I feel that interning will give me an advantage over the other job seekers in my industry.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of the study abroad experience offered to Marist students is the ability to enroll in an internship. In certain courses of study, students can gain work experience by enrolling in an internship. The ability to participate in an internship is just another opportunity for students to become knowledgeable in their field of study.

According to Brophy, interning while abroad is not only helpful for gaining work experience, but an insightful source to her field of study.

“It [Interning] will give me an idea of what the fashion industry is like outside of the US,” said Brophy. “It will help me when looking for jobs in the future.”

Aside from the education one receives while studying in a foreign country, another prominent aspect of studying abroad is the opportunity to experience different places and cultures.

Brophy plans to take full advantage of her time in Europe and experience other places and cultures.

“I really want to travel as much as I can,” said Brophy. “I am most looking forward to visiting Italy and Greece.”

For Brophy, studying abroad was not an easy decision. However, the several opportunities offered by the Marist International Program helped make the decision a little bit easier.

“I am sad I won’t be able to be here for my sister’s first semester at Marist (she is coming here next year), but I know I would not want to miss out on the amazing opportunity to spend the semester in Europe.”

It is hard to imagine interning at places like The Today Show, CBS Sports or The TJX Companies Inc. But for many Marist College students, that dream is a reality they will be living this upcoming summer.

“I am pretty excited for my internship this summer,” sophomore Mary Treuer said. “My internship is at Concepts TV and I am really happy that I got it because it’s a short commute from my house.”

Like many colleges and universities, it helps that Marist has contacts and alumni at many of the places that students are interning, but what really makes Marist students stand out from others is their readiness and ability to be prepared for anything in the interview and on the job.

One of Marist’s proudest areas is its internship program. Under Marist’s current system, a Career Development class, also known as Employment Practicum, is offered which students should take before applying to internships. This allows them to learn the process of how internships work, as well as life in the real world when searching for jobs.

“The Employment Practicum class prior to my internship was definitely helpful in terms of preparing you for interviews and your resume,” senior Melissa Drespel said.

Drespel received an internship at Liz Claiborne Inc. earlier this year, which is a fashion company that handles international merchandising. She also has three job offers lined up for after graduation, which is due in part to both the helpfulness of the Employment Practicum class and her ability to adapt and learn from her internship experiences.

Marist also has Career Services to help students with the internship process. They inform students of internships from each particular field of study and also do their best to help each individual student along their path to finding a good internship and a good job after school.

That is something that really separates Marist from other colleges and universities. Whereas some schools just send their students out on internships to work, Marist wants the whole process to be a great learning experience.

“We try to teach [the students] what to expect and what each place is looking for,” said Gerald McNulty, director of the communication internship program at Marist. “Not only will they learn about the company they are applying for but about other companies that are in the same field.”

A student does work at an internship he acquired. Photo courtesy of nrcsa.com.

For most students from across the country, the summer is the time to search for internships. But for many Marist students, that is not necessarily the case. Marist’s communications department actually has a larger number of students that acquire internships in the fall and spring semesters.

The reason for the difference in numbers is due to Marist’s proximity to New York City. Being so close allows their students to commute to their internships during the academic year.

“It really gives Marist a terrific advantage,” McNulty said. “Other schools really have no choice but to have their students do internships in the summer. Schools such as Ithaca and Syracuse are nowhere near major media markets, whereas we are.”

Some of the big internships that communications and media arts students acquired for the upcoming summer range from Think PR to CBS College Sports and the New England Sports Network.

Marist’s fashion department, however, is very different in that the summer is seen as the busiest and most important time to acquire an internship.

“For us, the summer has the largest enrollment,” said Lydia Biskup, internship & placement coordinator of the fashion department at Marist. “Part of that is due to the fact there is no pressure of coursework and [the students] can immerse themselves more in the experience.”

Like all internship coordinators at Marist, Biskup encourages all fashion majors to acquire an internship to gain experience.

“We do not require students to take internships, but they will be at an extreme competitive disadvantage if they do not acquire one,” Biskup said. “Our participation is so high because [students] need very impressive internships in this competitive business.”

Marist’s fashion department will be sending students on internships this summer to companies ranging from The TJX Companies Inc. to Gucci and Chanel.

So whether it is a communications major, a fashion major, or a media arts major, Marist students are finding internships at large companies and are figuring out what it takes to make it in the job world.

“The internship is a first step that teaches students about the field,” McNulty said, “and they will learn a great deal about what is out there.”