WKU’s Study Abroad and Global Learning office will again satiate students’ wanderlust with a Study Abroad fair.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 4 on the second floor of the Downing Student Union. 

In recent years, the biannual event has brought in hundreds of students to look at programs spanning the globe.

One of the most popular is Harlaxton College, which was recently awarded the best study abroad program in America by bestcollegereviews.org.  

This semester, the fair will focus largely on WKU’s faculty-led programs: Semester at Sea and the Harlaxton College partnership with the University of Evansville.

Katherine Hale, a study abroad advisor, said Harlaxton and Semester at Sea are consistently two of the most popular programs.

“With our office, we have some partner programs that are incredibly popular because of our close relationship with them,” she said. “We’ve sent over 200 students to [Harlaxton]… Semester at Sea is another big point of interest.”

Hale said the fair is an efficient way for students to get their questions answered directly by those leading the various programs.

“The fair is really the best opportunity in the whole semester to find lots of different programs in one place,” she said. “Everything is in one place, and it’s an easy way for students to compare their options.”

Leslie Ford, graduate assistant for the office of Study Abroad and Global Learning, said it’s the “one-stop shop” for everyone involved.

“The study abroad fair is for the benefit of the student,” she said. “It gives them an opportunity to see the options available, they can talk to alumni who’ve been on the program, ask about scholarship opportunities, and financial aid.”

The fair will also include T-shirt giveaways and scholarship drawings.

Students aren’t the only ones getting help. The event benefits the Study Abroad office as well.

“It’s a good chance for us to meet students who are interested,” Ford said. “We can talk to them about things they can learn at the fair… It’s a good time for faculty to have an audience for their programs. Sometimes students aren’t aware of all the opportunities and places.”