Belmont University

More than 700 Belmont students started their summer off by participating in one of 45 faculty-led Maymester and Summer Study Abroad programs. These short-term programs, lasting anywhere from a week to a month, are led and designed by Belmont faculty to explore one or two certain areas of study, while giving students the opportunity to travel to and discover a new place.

Rising junior Mary Margaret Jones never expected her Maymester trip to the Netherlands to make a lasting impact on her day-to-day life and open a pathway for her to effect small change that is making a big impact.

A group of 20 Belmont students recently participated in "Belmont at Bonnaroo," a new Belmont Abroad program that didn't take students across an ocean, but rather to a farm just 90 minutes down Interstate 24. Still, as any attendee of this 17-year festival will attest, life at the 'Roo is an entirely different cultural phenomenon, one that provides a perfect opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a unique festival environment and in-depth music research.

As the Spring semester ended and final exams came to a close, students across campus began packing up for the summer. For 700 Belmont students, preparations to pack looked a bit different as they prepared to participate in one of 43 faculty-led Maymester and Summer Study Abroad experiences across the world. Traveling all across the globe to Argentina, Belfast, London, Israel, Jordan, Greece, Cambodia, Poland, Austria, Costa Rica, Florence, Rome, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Korea, South Africa, Germany, Haiti, India, Tanzania, Hawaii and more, these 43 programs provide students with the opportunity to expand the classroom beyond the traditional experience. Students are able to visit places they've never been, see historical sites and spend time experiencing new cultures.

This summer, Belmont has sent its largest group of students across the world for study abroad experiences. With more than 650 students participating in 34 programs, including Maymester trips, students have spent time in Greece, Brazil, England, France, Switzerland and Haiti, among many other locations.

Belmont will break its previous record of number of students participating in summer study abroad opportunities, including the University's maymester trips, as 506 students pack their bags to travel to nearly 30 countries.

As part of Belmont University's "Maymester" Session, eight students traveled to Pine Ridge, South Dakota to study the history and culture of the Western U.S.

More than 300 students traveled abroad during Belmont's "Maymester," an opportunity to obtain academic credit while exploring the culture, history and sites of a fantastic destination.