Department Initiates Study Abroad Program

“MSU was a lot bigger than we expected, but everyone we met were so friendly and went out of their way to help us. The classes were fun and enjoyable and the teachers and resources were excellent. We had a‘brilliant’ semester.  -- Go State!”

Abigail, Sara and Gemma, Students from York

After two years of planning, the Department of Kinesiology participated in its first international student exchange program with the College of York St. John, affiliated with the University of Leeds, and located in historic York, England. York St. John has an enrollment of less than 5000 students. The college offers two programs of interest to kinesiology students: sports and exercise science, and sport studies and physical education.

Attending MSU this fall were Rachel (Abigail) Silcock, Sarah Ward, and Gemma Turton.  They took courses in exercise physiology, measurement, research techniques, and teaching techniques, as well as activity classes. They readily adapted to life at a large university, experienced the phenomenon of Big Ten football, and spent several weeks traveling to various US cities after the close of the fall semester.

The lone pioneer from Michigan State was junior Jessica Schneider. Her classes included applied exercise physiology, social psychology, and biomechanics. While attending York St. John, Jessica had the opportunity to visit various cities in the United Kingdom as well as mainland Europe. Upon her return Jessica remarked, “The opportunity to study abroad at the College of St. John in York has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. I was able to indulge in a different culture and bring back a new sense of appreciation for the world around us.”

Jessica enjoyed her experience at York St. John. She observed that the college “is a much smaller university in comparison to MSU, but that is the beauty about it. The outside architecture of the school seemed to set the atmosphere as if I was attending classes in a castle. The classes were small and the teachers were excellent.” Jessica also spent time traveling with her family after completing her exams at York.