Photo by: dan white

Most students know about the myriad of study abroad options available at DU, but interterm classes abroad are often overlooked.

Dan White, a senior biology major, had the opportunity to take two interterm classes in Italy over fall interterm.

White took “Exploring Italy” and “Excavating Italy” and was able to travel around Italy, visiting Rome, Florence and Venice with about 20 other DU students and professors M.E. Warlick and Eleanor McNees.

White’s classes explored Italy’s culture and history through traveling and visiting places of cultural interests.

“It was great ot be able to experience the actual pieces of art that we learned about in class,” said White. “Many of the pieces were much more moving when you look at them up close in person.”

While in Italy, White kept a journal of his experiences, which counted for 35 percent of his final grade.

Having never studied abroad before, taking an interterm class abroad was a new experience for White, leading to different challenges for him and his classmates.

“The days were long and it was difficult to see everything that we wanted to see,” said White.

White believes that a full quarter would have given him more of an opportunity to see everything that he wanted to see. However, he also mentioned that he had a great group of people in his interterm course in such a short time.

“Being able to travel to an unknown place with the assistance of professors that know their way around was a great way to get the most out of the experience while gaining great friends,” said White.

Some benefits that come alone with participating in interterm classes beyond an alternative method of learning include experiencing electives that are distinctive and experience-oriented, interaction with highly respected DU faculty and professors, intensive academic work condensed into a few weeks, multicultural opportunities and lightening regular quarterly course loads.

These interterm courses are scheduled immediately following each of the four quarters and may be taken at current DU tuition rates.

Upcoming winter interterm abroad courses include traveling to Argentina, Austria, Belize, New Zealand, China and Italy.

Interterm travel courses also offer domestric travel, which allows students to travel to New York, Snowmass, Colo. and Hawaii.

DU offers a variety of on-campus interterm courses in a range of subjects including biology, finance, marketing, religious studies and sociology.

All credits generated from interterm classes trafer directly to DU.

Transferring credits from studying abroad is often difficult and frustrating, but interterm makes it easy, eliminating a lot of hassle for the student, accoridng to White.

To find out more about interterm classes abroad, check out www.du.edu/specpro/interter/index.html or visit the Special Community Programs Office (2335 S. York St.) to see where your classes may take you.