Maria Haase is an Online Marketing Consultant during the day and Travel Writer at night. Born and raised in Germany, she decided to move to the US, first as a High School Exchange Student and later to study Business in San Diego. Between degrees, Maria also spent 6 months doing an internship in Beijing, China, where she discovered her passion for Blogging and Online Marketing.

My best advice for students who are going abroad: 

(1) Secure your finances.

(2) Secure your finances.

(3) Know how to call the emergency number wherever you are.

Charles Kronk (charleskronk.com) is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in bioinformatics with focuses in German studies, international studies, neuroscience, computer science, web development, statistics, biology, chemistry, global health studies, European politics and theatre arts (because choosing any one thing was just too difficult).

Students are not known to be the tidiest bunch out there. When each day, your date is only with the library and a stack of books, there is understandably a reluctance to dress up. Indeed, for those forced to wear school uniforms, there is probably a significant amount of relief in finally being able to cast of those uniforms once school life is final over.

Clara Dorfman is a senior majoring in philosophy and Italian at the University of Pittsburgh. She spent the summer of 2014 interning at Vatican Radio in Rome, and then the following school year studying at the University of Bologna. Before coming back to Pittsburgh this year for her final year of college, she returned to Rome for another internship, this time at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.

Brianna Gasgonia grew up in Southern California and is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, double majoring in German and Russian and pursuing certificates in Russian and Eastern European Studies and European Union Studies. Her interest in international affairs began shortly after high school graduation, when she had the opportunity to study abroad in Germany as a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholar.

Patrick Asinger is a University of Pittsburgh chemical engineering major with intended minors in polymer engineering, mathematics, and chemistry. He plays on the ultimate Frisbee team and conducts undergraduate research. Patrick enjoys learning about science and engineering, and wants to be a part of the upcoming technologies that will have an impact on the future. Patrick also enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and being active.

Caroline Macomber is a nomadic travel writer working on both Freakinflyers.com and Travelisfree.com with her husband. Together, they use frequent flyer miles and hotel points to live in hotels all over the world. All the while, they track all expenses to see exactly how useful miles and points can be in making travel more possible and affordable. She studied abroad in Northern Ireland.

Originally from Ashburn Virginia, Kiara Lee is a junior bioengineering student minoring in Spanish and Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. Her study abroad experience began the summer after her freshman year, when she studied abroad in Chile with a program called Plus3. This program was a partnership between the engineering and business schools at Pitt where students learned about the economy and various businesses in Chile.