4 Weeks, 4 Credits: A Lifetime of Experiences

[Music begins with a Webster University Logo appearing.]

Text on screen: Webster University Geneva – Study Abroad in the Heart of Europe

[The logo is replaced by an interview shot of a student with clips of picturesque Geneva. The entire video is interview shots intertwined with footage of Geneva or the students.]

Text on screen: Eric, Saint Ambrose University

Eric

The Webster campus is super cool. I mean, I love when you walk out from the top floor of Jura, you can just see the Alps in the background. I mean, that's just -- I'm from Chicago, I'm from Plains, I see corn and windmills, so to see mountains like that is awesome.

Text on screen: Kelly, Kent State University

Kelly

This campus is gorgeous and coming to class every single day on the tram and seeing the landscapes of the city really makes coming to class fun. I come from a very big university, so having small classes of 20 students is very different than my 400+ lecture halls.

Text on screen: Hannah, Kent State University

Hannah

The campus is so small, so you get to know everyone that's here. There's a mix between study abroad, students from the U.S. and people from all over the world.

Text on screen: Megan, Webster University, St. Louis

Megan

Geneva is like a very central city in Europe, so we're able to travel a lot. My friends and I are able to travel a lot on the weekends and that was a big reason why I wanted to study abroad.

Text on screen: Analysa, Kent State University

Analysa

Professors here really take the time to take your situation into consideration and they understand that you are traveling, you are having these experiences, but they do want you to not only test well and do well here, but they want you to retain this information and apply it to your field. And that is something I feel sometimes is missing with other universities, but Webster's teachers really hit that nail on the head.

Eric

Living in Geneva has been fun. It's really good if you're from a small town and you want to acclimate to a large town. It's kind of that perfect mixture between small town and large town. So if you're not really comfortable living in a city, I think it's a perfect town for you to live in.

Text on screen: Gavin, Kent State University

Gavin

I had been to Europe before and visited London, Paris and… Geneva is much different. It's really cool that it's kind of nestled in the mountains and you have the lake. It's very picturesque, it's very beautiful.

Analysa

Everything is always on time, which is amazing. But it's also really nice, especially living in Libres, which is the student residence that Websters provides to us, because you are a two-minute walk from a bus station, the tram station, you're so close to shops and restaurants and trails. It's kind of both of the best worlds being, you know, the outdoor hiking world, which I love, but then also living in the city and getting to have that nightlife experience.

Text on screen: Claire, Webster University, St. Louis

Claire

What I expected from Geneva as a city was a ton of diversity, a ton of international people. But I think what I hadn't expected was how diverse Webster campus would be.

Gavin

Though there is diversity at my campus back home, it's just not the same level of diversity. Here at Webster, I've met students from Kazakhstan, Russia, Nepal…

Claire

From Spain, from Ecuador. I guess I could keep going for forever.

Text on screen: Wyatt, Kent State University

Wyatt

Such a combination of people here that everyone you meet has a completely different story and upbringing than you, and I think that is so valuable.

Text on screen: Adam, Kent State University

Adam

You can visit all of Europe here if you play your cards right. And that's been one of the best experiences about being here, is just being able to explore everything that I never thought I'd be able to see.

Megan

I've been able to visit a lot of different places all around Europe, and it's been such a powerful experience to be able to travel as much as I have and just see so much of the world in such a short amount of time.

Text on screen: Christa, St. Louis University

Christa

We started out going to Paris, Amsterdam, London, then we stayed in the general area. We went to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland and Annecy, France, which is really, really close.

Text on screen: Ayla, Kent State University

Ayla

Milan and Venice in Italy. And then we went to Berlin, Germany. It was really cool. I've gotten to see so many cool places since being here.

Kelly

And Webster puts together a ski weekend trip in Zermatt, which is the Matterhorn. It was gorgeous and they organized the whole thing for skiing. It was a great opportunity to take the train with everyone, get to know all the other Webster students, and as well as other city abroad students.

Megan

Paris was like, it was so cool. It was the first place we traveled to. It was like, we went like two weeks after we first got here. We just spontaneously went to Paris because you can do that when you live in Geneva.

Eric

I never expected to be taking trains everywhere because it's you just don't have them in the States. But I've taken so many train trips, which has just been awesome.

Text on screen: Jess, Boston College

Jess

I came to Geneva to snowboard. I brought my snowboard out, I brought all my ski gear out. And every Tuesday, in January and February, I actually went to Chamonix, France and it was -- it was the epitome of my study abroad experience.

Adam

You see pictures of it all the time, and it just doesn't quite describe the experience that you have up there, like being a part of the mountains and the snow and seeing the sun start to come down over the mountains. It's like --  it's pretty incredible. It's something that I wish everybody could experience once.

Christa

Studying abroad will add value to my career. I know that having an experience in a global setting is super important to a lot of companies, so being able to just talk to people of different cultural backgrounds know of different languages, cultures, everything, and just like seeing the world outside of your own perspective is super helpful.

Claire

One thing that's great about studying abroad, especially here, is what it's going to do for me and my future, especially when it comes to my career. I am studying international studies, international relations. And so first of all, just living abroad shows employers like I know how to adapt into new situations, into new cultures. I'm able to learn while living in other places.

Wyatt

I feel that study abroad will definitely change the way that I look at my future in terms of where I would like to end up. Now that I now have a better taste of what Europe is like, I have -- I could definitely see myself living here for an extended period of time, down the road, or perhaps look for jobs here. No, no doubt and that's something I couldn’t confidently say before I came here.

Claire

One of the most important reasons to study abroad in general is to learn what it's like to live in other places. But it's also, of course, very enjoyable. It helps you grow as a person. And then Geneva specifically, I think you should study out because of the people and the travel opportunities. Honestly, that's what it was for me.

Megan

Well, I would tell anyone back home who is thinking about sitting abroad is definitely do it. It's such an amazing experience. I feel like I've grown a lot as a person because I came here and it's like it's just been such a rewarding experience and I've loved it so much.

Wyatt

And what I would tell anyone back home I was thinking about coming here is absolutely do it. I can guarantee you'll have no regrets.

Hannah

Like you're probably very nervous to come here, but it's actually so easy. The staff is so welcoming. They take you from the airport to your accommodation, you live with mostly all study abroad students, so you're all in this together.

Ayla

What I would tell you in back home who's thinking about studying abroad here is definitely to do it. It can feel super intimidating and super scary, but the second I got here, I was so excited that I did it and I loved it.

Jess

If you're hesitant because you're going alone and you don't have a group of friends who are going with you -- still go! I didn't know anyone before, and most people feel that they have to travel in groups when they go to different countries. But it's really empowering to go by yourself and strike it out on your own and be able to just follow your own schedule.

Christa

What I would tell anybody back home that is hesitant about coming: I relate to you. I came in not knowing a single person that was coming to Geneva and I met two of my closest friends in the whole world here. So I definitely think if you're if you're hesitant, just take the step and come because it's amazing.

[The interview and Geneva footage fades away as Webster University logo appears and the music quietens.]

Text on screen: Webster University Geneva

Text on screen: www.webster.ch/studyabroad