Departing from the culture of the Crimson Tide, 770 University of Alabama students studied abroad this summer, and 54 plan to head overseas this fall.

“Summer is definitely our most popular term,” Deidre Van Zandt, assistant director of Capstone International Programs, said.

Spain, Italy and England are the most popular destinations, Van Zandt said.

Seventy-one percent of the students who studied abroad this summer did so through some sort of University-sponsored program, be it a faculty-led program, exchange program, community service program, UA-customized internship or student teaching.

“I would just encourage students to take advantage of the opportunities The University of Alabama provides when it comes to studying abroad because it will be an experience unlike anything you’ve had at UA, and it will be better than football,” Heath Thompson, study abroad coordinator, said.

Hollin Wakefield, a senior majoring in philosophy, Spanish and French, spent two months at the monastery at El Escorial, about an hour outside of Madrid, Spain, on the UA in Spain faculty-led program. As part of the program, Wakefield travelled to Segovia, Toledo, Sevilla, Asturias and several other places.

“I had pretty high expectations for studying abroad, and without a doubt, it exceeded those expectations,” Wakefield said.

For the first time at the University, this summer, Glenn Tootle, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, led a program called Water Resources and Climate Change in the European Alps. The group studied the recession of mountain glaciers and its impact on water supply, as well as tree rings.

Tootle said that by using trees 400 to 500 years old, his class can use tree rings to study what precipitation, snow and stream flow patterns were like 400 to 500 years ago. From there, students work with botanists, geographers, atmospheric scientists and other specialists to determine the impact of climate change on water supply.

“The best part of the course was we base it in Innsbruck, Austria, but we don’t just sit in Innsbruck. We do as many as half a dozen field trips, going to some of the neatest places in this region of Europe,” Tootle said.

For those returning from overseas escapades, there is an opportunity to share your journey with campus through Capstone International’s student photo contest. Visit the Capstone International office in 135 BB Comer for more information. Winners will be announced in November during International Education Week.

Students looking to start their adventures abroad can attend an info session at the Capstone International office or attend walk-in advising hours from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and 9 a.m. to noon Thursdays.

“Anybody can study abroad. It doesn’t matter about your financial status or what year you are in school, your major or whatever,” Thompson said. “There’s a program for you. There’s a way to finance it. There’s a way to do it when you’re a freshman. There’s a way to do it last minute if you’re a senior. There is a way to go.”