Three Sacred Heart Greenwich seniors are preparing to travel across the globe and kickstart their freshman year abroad. Seniors Kristen Davis, Helen Rail, and Erin Carroll will spend a semester abroad before entering their freshman year of college at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Northeastern University has an N.U.in Program, a curriculum which offers new students the opportunity to study abroad at one of the school’s international partner locations during the first fall semester. It offers study opportunities in Australia, Canada, China, England, Germany, Greece, Ireland, and Italy. In 2007, the program was first established, and since then around 4,000 students have completed The N.U.in Program and matriculated at Northeastern. The first partnering school was the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, and the program has grown to reach other parts of the globe.

Erin will spend four months at the Swinburne University of Technology. After her immersion experience, she will continue her studies at Northeastern University and major in Health Science. This unique opportunity allows Erin to study overseas without jeopardizing her pre-medical education track, which will commence when she returns.

Erin participated in Sacred Heart’s student exchange program at the Sacred Heart Jr. and Sr. High School in Taiwan for two weeks. In high school, sophomores have the opportunity to study abroad at a range of different Sacred Heart sister schools around the world. The global experiences that Erin gained through this program inspired her to continue to explore the world and study abroad in a college setting.
Helen and Kristen will both spend the first semester studying in Dublin, Ireland. Helen will attend the Dublin Business School, Foundation for International Education from August to December, and Kristen will attend the University of Dublin from September to December.
Helen will combine majors in political science and business administration with a tentative minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. Her time abroad will expose her to different governmental and political systems, which will expand her knowledge in her field.
“Because Northeastern offers various opportunities for co-ops, studying abroad in my first semester will help me decide what job I am most looking to participate in and narrow down my search when the time comes to take a co-op,” Helen said. “Being in Europe, where travel is so easy, I plan on taking advantage of the opportunity to expose myself to many different government systems that can drive my passion for political studies.”
As more colleges adopt international programs, studying abroad is becoming an increasingly popular option. The rate of international students studying abroad steadily increases by 12 percent annually, according to uis.unesci.org.
“I believe studying abroad will strengthen my time-management skills as well as give me an edge when it comes to settling in when I return. If I can settle into a new country and a foreign school, I sure hope that I can settle easily into classes only a few hours away. I also hope it inspires new interests as well as quenches my desire for world travel,” Helen said.

– Anissa Arakal, Staff Writer