CGIS Blog & News

Welcome to the CGIS Blog!

The CGIS Blog is a central location where students can access stories written by U-M students who have gone abroad. Our blog was previously located on a different page on our website, but in order to provide an easier and more enjoyable viewing experience we have relocated it here. This will allow us to offer better search functionality and tags to help explore various topics, such as location and identity. We are looking for new blog contributions from CGIS alumnx to build this new space — please consider sharing your story if you have been on a CGIS study abroad program at any time!

In the following months, this page will be updated to include new stories and content from students who have been or are currently abroad on a CGIS program. We may transition content from our previous site here in the future as we adapt to this new format — thank you for your patience and for now, please feel free to explore archived posts here.

Why a blog?

At CGIS, we are continuously working on providing all types of opportunities for prospective students to learn about studying abroad. From financial aid & scholarship help to health & safety support, CGIS is here to help you every step of the way, but we also recognize that we can't completely give you the student insight that you're looking for. That's where the blog comes in. CGIS Alumni share stories to include information about their experiences with the goal of making a student’s study abroad experience easier. In their blog posts, alumni cover topics ranging from cultures around the world, learning about their identities abroad, homestay and apartment living, internships, excursions, hobbies abroad, and more! Our goal is to give CGIS alumni an opportunity to provide authentic insight on all of our programs — we want to lift student voices and provide opportunities for prospective study abroad students to interact with CGIS alumni as students prepare for their time abroad.

How can I contribute to the blog?

Submitting a post for the blog gives you the opportunity to have a piece of your work published through CGIS, while also offering advice, insight, and support to students who are preparing to go abroad. We're always looking for content discussing a wide range of topics. There are so many questions when it comes to studying abroad and by contributing to our blog, you have a unique opportunity to inspire prospective students to embark on an incredible journey that can open so many doors to them.

The only stipulation to contributing to our blog is that you must currently be on/have studied abroad on a CGIS program previously. Once that's happened, please feel free to share your experiences from your time abroad.

If you’re interested in sharing a story, please review our submission guidelines before submitting through our form.

Watch this page for calls for interviews! We will occassionally promote opportunities for students and faculty members to be featured on the CGIS Blog through a CGIS interview.

If you have artwork, photography, poetry, or videos inspired by your time abroad that you would like to share, please contact us at cgis@umich.edu.

If you have any questions about submitting your blog post, please email Communications Specialist Corrin Leverton at corrinl@umich.edu.

Recent Blog Posts

news feed

Throwback Thursday: Anna discusses her experience studying in Khon Kaen, Thailand

First Published: August 2018 - "We've visited several temples and even had the opportunity to participate in almsgiving, where at 6 am community members line up and donate food to passing monks."

- Anna Tankersley

Category: Asia-Pacific

Tags: Center for Global and Intercultural Study

Full Story +

Throwback Thursday: Alexander reflects on his Advanced Spanish semester abroad in Buenos Aires

First Published: Winter 2018 - "The first and most important in my opinion is the friends that I have made abroad. I think that wherever you are in life it is important to establish a support network, and my friends have provided just that. "

- Alexander Kopko

Category: Americas