Criteria for the list included at least a semester study period, fewer than 500
students, faculty involvement abroad, and a specific location internationally.
A
typical semester at Harlaxton will include students that hail from 12 to 15 different
universities, with an average of around 200 students at a time.
“It’s
a full service campus,” said Earl Kirk, Study Abroad Director at the University
of Evansville. Kirk said that part of Harlaxton’s
success comes from its amenities.
Few study abroad
locations can claim a school nurse, student development office, traditional
housing and a gymnasium. The fact that this package is wrapped in a 19th-century manor house doesn’t hurt either.
“It’s beautiful
to look at,” Sophomore Stephanie Yurks said. Yurks, a history major at the
University of Southern Indiana, chose Harlaxton for its scenic location in the
English countryside as well as the rich cultural background which she is fond
of.
One
of many aspects that draw students to Harlaxton is its British Studies program,
which counts for six credits and integrates British history as well as culture into
the classroom. Although American professors teach at the manor, British
instructors give the British Studies lectures and lead seminars.
“The
British Studies lectures are very expansive,” said Derek Dahlk, a senior from
the University of Wisconsin-Eau Clarie.
All
students who study at Harlaxton are required to take British Studies. It
involves two lectures a week as well as smaller seminar groups that meet
directly afterward.
“Let me just
assure you that this British Studies program is outstanding,” Kirk said. Kirk
feels that it is not often that students get excited about a six-credit class
that is mandatory, but this is an exception.
“It receives rave reviews at the end of the
semester,” he said.
Travel
and bonding with peers are crucial to the study abroad experience, which is
where Harlaxton’s Student Development Office comes into play.
Kristin
Eberman, Dean of Student Development, wants students to build relationships in
the manor but also step outside the “Harlaxton bubble.”
Student Development offers an extensive travel program including smaller day trips
around Harlaxton and larger excursions to places such as London, Ireland and
Paris. The majority of trips aren’t mandatory but are recommended and fairly
independent if the student chooses them to be. Most school weeks are only four
days long, which allows for school trips and independent travel.
The Meet-a-Family
program gives students the opportunity to interact with members of the
Grantham, England, area. Students are assigned a local family and get together
periodically, usually at the residence of the host.
As
far as on campus activities, the Student Development Office offers intramural sports
teams, student government, and various other clubs to help students connect with
one another. Classmates are even divided
into four houses that compete in competitions throughout the semester. The
winning house receives a coveted key to the manor’s front door.
Harlaxton’s
first place rating on Best College Reviews’ seems to come as a pleasant, yet
hardly shocking suprise to many students and staff at the college.
“It’s
picturesque and an ideal version of what the British experience would be,” Dahlk
said.
Although
the rating is very positive for Harlaxton, perhaps the most important PR
campaign for the college is the hundreds of students and staff it has
dramatically impacted through the years.
-Patrick Henry
Students and staff are always the best PR people for any college. Instead of spending money on advertising the college can use the same to create a better work experience for its staff.
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