Camden Langerman ’26

Program: Austria Semester

Major: Accounting

Minor: Finance

Why did you choose to study abroad and how did you decide on this program?

I chose to study abroad to experience other cultures around the world, get out of my comfort zone more, become closer with other Bennies and Johnnies, as well as people from the host country and other students from other schools. I decided on Austria because of the location in central Europe which allows for a good mixture of cultures.

Briefly describe a specific cultural experience you had on your program that made a lasting impression.

I think a good cultural experience that differs from the area we live in here at CSB and SJU is mainly the change in things like public transportation and day-to-day life around the city of Salzburg and other cities in Europe.

Based on your experiences abroad, what are some of the benefits of spending a semester abroad? How has studying abroad contributed to your personal, academic, and professional development?

A personal benefit of studying abroad is being able to recognize and appreciate how life differs from different areas of the world. I also feel like everybody “finds themselves” more and being around different cultures helps you open up another side of you that you may not have known you had. Academically, it’s beneficial to be taught by professors from another country because it can be a challenge, but this helps you adapt and ultimately become more teachable for any professor. Professionally, I have noticed that I’ve been able to adapt to the environment of different cultures easier which helps with being comfortable in settings that you may not usually be comfortable in. That is something that translates well to someone’s professional career. I also gained the skill of communicating with people better over this last semester. Whether that is communicating with a stranger in English or even working around a language barrier to communicate with someone.

What advice can you offer for CSB+SJU students who are considering or planning to study abroad?

My advice would be to seize the opportunity while you can. There are too many benefits to going. Everyone that has gone only says great things about it, regardless of the program, and this may be the only time in your life where you will be able to have this much time to take advantage of all the benefits studying abroad comes with.