Global Peer Advisors hosted ‘Ask Us Anything’

The Global Peer Advisors (GPA’s) who are student staff at GESP and work on assisting undergraduate students with their Study Abroad aspirations designed a series this spring. Named ‘Ask Us Anything’ (AUA) series by the 3 GPA’s was an informal online space where they could discuss & share their experiences of studying abroad and answer student’s questions. The team held 3 sessions in the series, each with different themes hosted from February to March 2022.

The Global Peer Advisors (GPA’s) who are student staff at GESP and work on assisting undergraduate students with their Study Abroad aspirations designed a series this spring. Named ‘Ask Us Anything’ (AUA) series by the 3 GPA’s was an informal online space where they could discuss & share their experiences of studying abroad and answer student’s questions. The team held 3 sessions in the series, each with different themes hosted from February to March 2022.

The first of the three sessions focused on the pre-application process and questions relating to study abroad programs and collaborations with Partner universities. The second AUA session was a panel discussion with alums who had spent time studying abroad. They shared the post-application process, tips and advice for being adequately prepared for the experience.  In under sixty minutes, a lot of valuable information was shared about living alone in the host country, financial research, visa applications, residence life, and much more. 

The third and final AUA session discussed and  addressed some of the anxieties students have about studying abroad. While everything was online, students did not feel like they were missing out on Ashoka’s college life. But now that offline classes have begun and campus life resembles what it was two years ago, students worry about missing out on the ‘Ashoka Experience.’ Students also are concerned about financing their education abroad and visiting a new country on their own (for the very first time for some). 

Thus this series by Global Peer Advisors was a great new platform to connect with students’ interests and concerns to study abroad. The significant number of students who attended these sessions was quite encouraging and engaging.

We hope to introduce many more initiatives to bring students closer to their study abroad goals and take in their suggestions, concerns, thoughts, and feedback to guide them better. We are also extremely grateful to the students who attended and made these sessions a success.