Meet Allie Denton (she/her/hers)

Program and Location:

Fall, NC State European Center in Prague; Prague, Czech Republic

Major/Minor:

Biological Sciences concentrating in Physiology and Neurobiology

Why did you choose to study abroad?

I knew as soon as I heard about the opportunity I needed to take advantage of it. I was just starting college and the Prague connection opportunity presented itself to me. I applied right away since I was going to NCSU in the spring and had no plans for the Fall. All I knew was that I loved traveling and I wanted to start taking classes right away so the Prague Connection was the way to go.

What did you learn about yourself?

I did a lot of growing up while I was abroad. I learned that I am extremely capable of doing anything I set my mind to. I took classes I wasn’t sure about and did better than expected, I planned trips to other countries successfully, and I made friends easily with the people in my program.

What was one of your favorite parts of your program?

One of my favorite parts about the Prague Connection program is the people you go with are all people in the same situation as you. I went with 27 other students who were all accepted into NCSU for the Spring semester. When we returned from studying abroad we already had a huge friend group and most of us are still best friends to this day.

How were your classes abroad different than if you would have taken them at NC State? Did you take any field trips or do anything outside of the traditional classroom?

One of my favorite classes abroad was Astronomy. I knew nothing about Astronomy going into it but I ended up loving it. We had a lab associated with the class and we were able to actually go on a field trip to see telescopes which was a really cool learning experience.

What advice do you have for future study abroad students?

Take the risk. Yes, it is really scary leaving behind everything you know and everyone you are friends with but you have to be uncomfortable to grow.

Would you do it again?

A million times yes. If I had the chance to do it all over I would in a heartbeat.