When Olivia Sulin was scoping out potential colleges, study abroad was on her mind. She was also determined to complete an internship and earn credits for a neuroscience major, “which was almost unheard of at every other school I had talked with.” But she learned BU could make it happen. In August 2012, Sulin (CAS’15), then a sophomore, traveled to France to spend four months in the University’s Grenoble Science Program.

An aspiring physician’s assistant, Sulin says her “calling” to help improve the lives of others was cemented by a very different overseas trip. In May 2012, she traveled to rural Honduras with the BU Global Medical Brigades to set up and run a health clinic. She hopes to work with underserved populations around the world; Africa is a destination at the top of her list.

But for study abroad, Sulin, who has studied French since third grade, was “desperate” to go to France and immerse herself in the culture. Sulin’s science classes were in English, but she practiced her French in language class and day-to-day interactions. “I think it really is important. It shows cultural awareness.” She adds that speaking French will aid her future work abroad, facilitating her interactions with patients in French-speaking countries.

Asked if, given the chance, there’s anything she would change about her study abroad experience, she responds without hesitation: “Stay longer.”

Photos courtesy of Olivia Sulin

Sulin’s lab internship at the Albert Bonniot Institute, a research center at her university, “was a great opportunity to overlap the science with my French skills.” She worked with researchers studying stress, cancer, and the genome, spending about four hours each week testing the effects of heat shock on DNA structure and overall cellular functioning. She concluded with a research report and presentation. Conducting independent experiments boosted her confidence, as did the feedback from the lab professionals. “I know they were impressed with the amount of knowledge that I had coming from BU,” she says, “and I think it was good reinforcement for what I’d been learning.”

On weekends, Sulin put down her books to go paragliding in the Alps, explore ancient Roman ruins in Nîmes, hike with her host family, and rent a villa in Nice with more than 20 fellow program students. “The friends and memories I made in Grenoble and France as a whole changed the way I look at and interact with the world,” she says, adding that some of her best study abroad memories aren’t of scientific revelations or exotic adventures, but of lengthy, relaxed dinners out in Grenoble with friends.

The desire to take more time to relish the moment seems to have stuck with Sulin. Asked if, given the chance, there’s anything she would change about her study abroad experience, she responds without hesitation: “Stay longer.”