What does studying away look like? Where are some students now? Studying away offers students an opportunity to immerse themselves into new cultures, languages, and academic environments. Right now, several students are studying away in destinations such as Switzerland, Spain, and Italy. Dion Crushshon, Social Studies Teacher and Director of Global Programs, said that eight to 10 students usually study away each year, although there are currently seven.

Lucia Heathcote ‘25 and Macaella Sikhoya ‘25, shared information about their recent adventures abroad. Heathcote, who spent the 2024 spring semester in France, described the significant impact her host family had on her experience, emphasizing how essential a good host experience is to making the most of studying abroad. She also described her classes at School Year Abroad (SYA), where her history and language courses were taught in French, while math and English classes were taught in English with American teachers. “The classes were quite different from at Blake,” she explained. Heathcote’s experience included learning about architecture through real-life examples through field trips. The structure of her classes were more “lecture based,” as she puts it, with less group activities and partner work.

Crushshon addressed some common concerns that students have when considering studying abroad. “Many students are nervous about how the Blake curriculum will match up with the curriculum of the classes that they take while away,” he explained. For programs like the Swiss semester, the academic rigor can be even higher than at Blake, which can have an impact on the student’s grade according to Sophia Peterson ‘25.