As a triple major in Chinese, Political Science, and East Asian Studies, I thought studying abroad was not an option. When I learned about the Lutheran College Washington Semester, I thought it was too good to be true. A program where your internship counts as two 300 political science classes and you two night classes can count towards general education? Not only was the academic portion appealing, but the price was as well. LCWS is affordable because it is an extension of Wittenberg, which means you pay Wittenberg’s tuition and nothing more. I am now a month into the LCWS program and am loving it! It has truly been a great experience. The opportunity to live on your own in a big city is a great learning experience for what is to come after we leave the Wittenberg bubble when we graduate.
A common misconception about the semester is that it is just for political science majors. There are plenty of opportunities out there that any major is welcome and encouraged. This semester we have a mix of students from all different disciplines. Along with the variety of interests comes the large genre of classes offered by LCWS. I am taking Global Agenda and Capital Landmarks in Art and Architecture. I chose to take Global Agenda because it sounded fascinating and my professor is from Georgetown University. I thought taking the Art and Architecture class would be interesting since it is about D.C. and help fulfill my general education requirements. I have no regrets about my choice to study in D.C. and love the students I am meeting from across the nation that are in LCWS with me.
If you are interested in applying or learning more about LCWS, you can contact Alyssa Wehr (the internship coordinator) at internships@washingtonsemester.org or stop by Dr. Hasecke’s office (Witt’s LCWS contact) in the political science department. If you would like to hear more about my experience or want a student’s opinion on something, you can email me as well at s12.cruff.
(Caitlan Ruff / s12.cruff@exchange.wittenberg.edu)
