My name is Andrea Welker, and I am a junior at Missouri State University pursuing my degree in digital film production. At MSU I have been involved in my sorority where I held an executive position and was a peer leader for the Fall 2012 semester. Other then that I am just a regular student who decided that I wanted to travel. I figured the best way to do this was to study abroad.

I was meeting with my advisor to be released for classes in the Spring of 2013 when I asked him if he thought studying abroad was a good idea with my major. He was more then helpful and encouraging. He told me a little bit about the exchange program between MSU and Oxford Brookes University. Later I did some more research myself and tried to find out as much information as I could before I went home to try and convince my parents to let me go.

The next time I went home I showed them what I had found and it didn’t take very much convincing. I had been abroad before with my family so they knew how great of an opportunity this was. Yet, they still wanted to talk to someone in the Study Away office about more details. My dad drove down to Springfield and we both sat down and talked with Miko, a Study Away advisor. After this my parents were much more comfortable about letting their daughter go to a foreign country for a semester.

I chose Oxford Brookes University because it was the most convenient option for me. Since it is an exchange program it was going to be the cheapest option and many classes had already been approved to transfer back to MSU. This program looked academically challenging, but also offered me the chance to experience how other cultures live.

In the Fall of 2013 I applied to Oxford Brookes University. The application process was not stressful. It was a regular application that OBU has everyone fill out, an essay about why Oxford Brookes would be the right place for me, and a recommendation from a teacher in the MJF department. I found out in November that I would be spending the Spring 2014 semester in Oxford, England.

I am so glad that I chose Oxford Brookes and that it did not take me long to find a home here. Within two days of arriving I had already met so many people from around the world and was forced to step outside of my comfort zone. I know that this is probably one of the best decisions I could have made for myself.

Until next time,
Andrea Welker

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” —Saint Augustine