Pursuing a distinction project was one of the best decisions I made in my undergraduate career. It was a rewarding experience and provided a constructive opportunity to synthesize what I had learned through my thematic concentration. Not only was the project an exploration of my academic interests, it was a personal journey in that I came to understand my own strengths and weaknesses when it...

There is no greater feeling than pursing something you really care about and watching the change that it brings as you chase your curiosity. The distinction project pushed me to really apply all of the skills I had learned throughout my 4 years of college and to take it upon myself to fill the gaps in the research that already existed on my topic. It was difficult, a lot of reading, took much...

Prior to pursing distinction, I never thought I would do much in the way of research or have a future in academia, and was somewhat unsure of graduate studies. But wanting to distinguish myself from other Global Studies and LAS majors, I decided to pursue distinction anyways. The process was not easy, but it gave me such a hands-on experience with an area that I was interested in and extremely...

From pursuing the distinction project I learned that gaining a strong support system in a project and goal is critical to reaching ones destination. Hence in order to cultivate this, I found that consistent formal and informal communication with my committee was key. As a result I was able to learn from and connect with my committee on professional and personal levels which helped to strengthen...

The most important thing that I got out of the distinction project was that after it was completed, I felt like I was really a part of the discourse and the academic world. You can publish your work, submit it to conferences, or just put it in your resume--either way, you've proved to yourself and to everyone else that you can bring something new and individual to the field. - Annamarie W...

Pursuing a distinction project helped me the most in learning how to manage a months-long project. Much like projects in the 'real world,' a distinction paper can't be written the night before and involves more than one person.  Also, having this project on my resume helped a lot after graduation. I was often asked about it during interviews and explaining the project enabled me to show off...

GS gave me the chance to think about current issues from a variety of perspectives by taking courses in a variety of departments. Other majors didn't offer that kind of flexibility. Also, GS gave me the chance to study health-related topics without sacrificing my desire to study abroad and continue to take classes in Spanish.

Thematic Area: Wealth & Poverty The most surprising aspect of my study abroad experience must have been the amazing friends I made during my program. I studied at a small, private language school, taking Portuguese classes with other students from all around the world. I was surrounded by other students who were as excited as I was to explore Lisbon and learn Portuguese. One experience I'll...

I would recommend that you travel as much as possible in your allotted amount of time abroad, both inside the country you're living in and beyond, this is a once in a lifetime experience. That being said, make sure to appreciate things you may overlook later: your campus, your walk to the grocery store, any scenery that you see on an everyday basis. It's those things you'll miss the most when you...

In summer 2015, I spent six weeks in Hungary volunteering at a refugee camp. This experience greatly bolstered and refined my academic knowledge by humanizing the issues we discussed. I then spent Fall 2016 studying abroad in Jordan. To say it was an educational experience would be a gross understatement! Living in the Arab world was immensely beneficial to my language skills, and I also learned...