"I fundamentally believe one should set foot in a foreign culture to stay for a reasonable number of months, especially in an educational setting. For two years I held the mindset that before I graduate, I would study abroad, regardless of my two learning disabilities.

From the many M.S.U. study abroad programs available, I chose the affordable U.S.F.Q. La Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador program for its total immersion in the Spanish language, including living with a host family. Over 98% of the classes were taught in Spanish, and virtually all the professors at U.S.F.Q. have doctorates from the U.S. and/or Europe. All of my credits transferred to M.S.U., although some transferred as general credit.

All of my professors at U.S.F.Q. were very accommodating with respect to my documented learning disabilities. They provided me with the same amount of extra time on exams as I received at M.S.U. They also allowed me to give a short paper and presentation rather than writing an extensive paper, and they allowed me to take oral exams in the privacy of their offices. All one has to do is show effort and progress and they will be more than willing to assist.

I stayed for an entire calendar year and job interviewers have shown strong
interest in the fact that I studied abroad for this length of time. More importantly, the experience of studying abroad was a milestone in my life. I
will go back some day."