Bridget Cort studied abroad in Morocco in Fall 2024 and Estonia in Spring 2025. As an International Relations major, “it’s kind of expected” to study abroad. Because she studied abroad in two locations, she was able to make her choices based on both her academic and personal interests: Morocco was due to its proximity to her area of study, the greater Middle East, while Estonia was more of a personal choice.

Studying abroad in two different countries allowed Bridget to experience multiple types of education during her time abroad: “In Morocco, the university was a liberal arts college like Beloit, and it was also all English language. So all the students there, most of them were Moroccan, but everybody spoke English and took classes in English, and everything was just structured much more similarly to Beloit.” This meant that the academic experience was reasonably similar to the structure Beloit has.

This contrasted with Estonia, which “I would say was more similar to the big state school experience in the US.” Courses in Estonia also only included other exchange/international students “whereas in Morocco, you’re just in with the general population, because you could take any class you wanted.” There was also a strong difference in academics in Estonia. “I found it really hard, having a bunch of final exams at the end of the month. That’s so not how Beloit is for me. Like, at least in my humanities and social science major, it’s not like that at all. And so that was so strange.” The two programs in Morocco and Estonia allowed Bridget to experience the diversity within programs abroad and interact with many different groups of people: “Also, just socially, you just talk to so many different people. There’s always new people, and you just have to sort of accept it.” There were many opportunities to meet new people and learn about experiences beyond your own.

The largest change Bridget noticed in herself was her confidence in traveling. “I have traveled within the US by myself. I traveled to get back and forth from here from my home, but in terms of, like, navigating a place that you’re not familiar with at all, I’ve never been.” Bridget emphasized how the experience of being in a non-English speaking country was a very different experience, and that helped her feel more confident in herself. “You don’t speak the language. I mean, it just is a massive confidence booster. Like, now I’m like, I feel like I could go anywhere and be fine.” Want to learn more about what study abroad could look like for you? Book an appointment with the Global Experience Office today!