Student Experiences
Student Blogs
The content of student blogs are intended for entertainment purposes only and not intended as advice, recommendations or endorsements. The Center for Study Abroad assumes no responsibly for the content of student blogs, articles, photos and media. As such, student blogs do not represent the Center for Study Abroad and/or the University of Rochester.
Daniel Wang
Daniel Wang ('15, Economics and Philosophy) will explore his experiences abroad in Freiburg, Germany.
Adina Poras
Adina is keeping a blog about her experiences in Thailand. She is a junior majoring in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. She is participating in a non-sponsored program in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Hao Zheng
I am a Religious Studies major and Literary Translation Certificate candidate at University of Rochester, an aspiring academic of continental philosophy and/or intellectual history, a part-time writer and a life-long reader, a connoisseur of all things dairy, a glutton for podcasts, a procrastinator of uploading photos to Facebook, and, for this school year, a visiting student at St. Catz, Oxford.
Margaret Anderle
I am a student studying history, political science, and international relations at the University of Rochester, interested in pursuing a career in law and politics. I love to travel, read, and go on new adventures, the next of which is my semester abroad in Dublin, Ireland studying at Trinity College. I like to express my thoughts and opinions through photography and blogging, and have organized my class structure such that I am always learning new things about the world around me. I think its important to look at our past to formulate positive change for the future, and I hope that with experience in politics and history I can hope to contribute in a positive way to the world around me, wherever my adventures may take me.
Naomi Everhart
I am originally from beautiful Boulder, Colorado, but I am currently a junior at the University of Rochester double-majoring in Film and Honors Anthropology. While growing up, I lived in Shanghai for three years, but I have never been to anywhere in the Middle East before - a fact which I am very much looking forward to changing. I love exploring different cultures, making movies, eating delicious food, and being outside. While in Istanbul, I intend to extensively taste-test Turkish food, delve into the city and culture, and learn what it is like to go to a local university. I honestly have no idea what my future job will be, but I am passionate about eliminating institutional discrimination and hope to one day change the world for the better in some way.
Nicole Itzkowitz 
Hi! My name is Nicole and I am a junior at the University of Rochester, originally from the suburbs of New York City. I am majoring in public health with minors in biology and studio arts. I love ethnic foods, Halloween, the color purple, strange artwork and marine animals. You can find me around campus volunteering as an EMT, planning on-campus concerts, or hanging out in Starbucks. My dream is to one day have a pet tortoise. I am excited to study public health in Cape Town next semester and share my experiences through photography!
Samantha Loria
Samantha Loria is a junior Molecular Genetics/History double major at the University of Rochester in Western New York. She is an Irish Dancer, loves music and learning from all kinds of people and is going on the adventure of her life at Oxford University! She plans on soaking up all the culture, knowledge, and nature that she can handle and here, in this blog, she will seek to pass along all of the wisdom that she encounters, the emotions that she feels, and the incredible sights that she sees on this great journey. Come, explore, and learn!
Rachel Elwell
My name is Rachel and I am in love with traveling. I come from California and I am currently studying digital media at the University of Rochester. I am an avid watcher of TV, eating delicious food, and fan of long walks on the beach. Exploring new places and learning about the world are my passions and I hope to share them with anyone I can.
Hanqi Jiang
I'm Hanqi Jiang from Shanghai, China. I am a junior double majoring in International Relations and Psychology in University of Rochester. For me, life is too short to learn, to travel, to take photos, and to meet people with different backgrounds.
Hannah Vose
Hannah Vose is a University of Rochester junior, majoring in English with an interest in literary translation studies. When not burying her nose in whichever book has most recently been plucked from atop the dangerously tall pile on her desk, she can be found obsessively learning new languages, squinting through her (very stylish, thank you!) bifocals at someone else's writing in her job as a Writing Fellow, drinking stupid amounts of tea, squinting through her bifocals at her own writing in her job as a scathing self-critic, or dreaming of living somewhere which gets even less sun than Rochester. Born in England but having lived most of her life in Endicott, New York, she has traveled back to the Land of Her People twice and visited Dublin once on the way over. She considered applying to Trinity College as an international student, but was deterred by tuition costs (yikes!) so she's absolutely 100% thrilled to be living in Dublin and taking classes at Trinity for an entire year (and only about 34% of that is because she might get to take a class on Patrick McCabe -- will it happen? Stay tuned!)
Caroline Vaczy
Caroline is a sophomore at the University of Rochester majoring in French and Anthropology. She has loved the French language since she started studying it in middle school and has continued studying it in college. In her free time, she enjoys baking, doing yoga, reading, and playing squash. While in France she hopes to improve her French and learn about French culture and customs by fully immersing herself in life in Nantes.
Estefany Maria
Hi, my name is Estefany Maria and I am junior at the University of Rochester. I am currently majoring in Health, Behavior and Society and I am also on a pre-medicine track. I am from the city that never sleeps, New York. I love everything about NYC from its diversity to it's architecture. I am a very passionate person and my friends can attest to that. I am crazy about public health and medicine and in the future I hope to combine my two passions into one successful career. I am very excited to be going to Turkey and looking forward to exploring its captivating cities. I hope to share my experiences with you all!