Barbara Toperzer ’09 is dealing with culture shock one bite at a time. Literally. The East Asian Studies major tasted squid sushi (with tentacles) during her first week studying in Japan, impressing her host mom.

“She couldn’t believe that an American would do something like that,” says Toperzer. “One day, she even said, ‘You’re more Japanese than me,’ due to my skill with chopsticks.”

Toperzer is the first McDaniel student to study abroad in Japan. But it was the natural choice for this self-designed East Asian studies major. She chose to live in Tokyo in order to study the language and the effects of the digital age on pop culture. Toperzer is particularly interested in cartoons, comic books, anime, art and history.

“It took almost a year to craft an Asian Studies major for her,” says Associate Professor of Art and Art History Susan Scott, Toperzer’s advisor. “It is a well-rounded program which includes art history, sociology, history, philosophy and religion.”

If a semester in Japan weren’t challenging enough, Toperzer, already a Studio Art minor, plans to declare a second minor in Mathematics upon her return.

“I really just like to learn,” says Toperzer. “East Asian Studies lets me take classes across a lot of disciplines, from Art History to Political Science. Studio classes let me do hands-on creative work and express myself, while math lets me exercise the left side of my brain. It's the kind of education that you really can only get at a small liberal arts college, and I think it's awesome.”

More students than ever before are studying abroad through programs on six continents and major cities around the world. Numerous students also take advantage of McDaniel’s branch campus in Budapest and the new student exchange program in Brussels, Belgium. All financial aid and McDaniel scholarships can be applied to the two programs.

“We have students in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and pretty much anywhere they want to go,” says Rose Falkner, director of International and Off Campus Study. “In addition to traditional language immersion programs, students can do field research in Botswana, study art in India, or conduct environmental fieldwork in Costa Rica. They can also take on internships in government, business or social services. The possibilities are endless.”

Look here for more information about studying abroad.