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. This page is updated frequently and can be searched using the "Search News" button on the sidebar to explore various topics such as location and identity. Archived stories can be explore archived posts here.

We are always looking for new blog contributions from CGIS alumni - please consider sharing your story if you have been or currently are on a CGIS study abroad or international internship program!

Why a blog?

At CGIS, we are continuously working to provide all types of opportunities for prospective students to learn about international education. 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 experience abroad 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 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.

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

Dream Come True: Studying Philosophy in Germany

“I had never left North America before going to live abroad for an entire year. It was something I always dreamed of, but it didn't feel possible.”

- Gina Balibrera

Category: Europe; Anecdotes

Tags: Center for Global and Intercultural Study

Full Story +

A Conversation with Kate: Latin American Societies and Cultures in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The city is really fast-paced, but culturally, people are a lot more understanding that you're a human first, and an employee second. I think people are more adamant about it. Let's walk around the park, let's sit in the park, let's sit at the cafe.

Category: Anecdotes; Americas