Landen Furr is a Sophomore majoring in Civil Engineering and Spanish. He participated in the study abroad in Oviedo program in Asturias, which borders the northwest coast of Spain, in May 2021, supported by the SEC-Global Engineering Access Scholarship. He studied Spanish Literature, Grammar, and Conversation modules as part of an intensive language immersion program.

It was his first time visiting a foreign country and he was ecstatic that he could practice a second language everywhere he went. "It was the best time of my life," in Landen's words. He was able to travel to Barcelona and Madrid on the weekends and explore Spain. The only downside to this phenomenal experience? It was too short. In retrospect, he would have preferred to go for either a traditional semester or a year, in order to visit Salamanca, Sevilla, Valencia, and Mallorca...

Students Hiking in Spain

When asked if he has any advice for students who are looking to study abroad, Landen emphasized: "save your money! Save money for those incredible dinners with all your new friends, plane tickets to other cities and countries, along with paying for course credits and residency." He also recommends students to study abroad not only for the experience of living in another country, but also to widen their horizons and perspectives. 

Since he traveled to Spain in May 2021, Landen had to follow all the COVID-19 guidelines strictly in order to travel responsibly. In Spain, all his classes were in-person, a big change from the previous year when all the classes went virtual. He says that other than having to wear masks in closed spaces and limits on going out for late-night dinners and parties, the pandemic did not affect his study abroad experience much.