The Office of International Education will host its biannual Study Abroad Fair Wednesday, offering students the chance to learn about study abroad programs for the fall, spring and summer terms.

The fair will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the second floor lobby of the Alumni Memorial Union.

Among the programs with booths at the event will be some of Marquette’s newest study abroad locations, such as Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, and Tec de Monterrey, a multi-campus program in Mexico.

Tec de Monterrey’s multi-campus approach makes it appealing to students across the university, said Gail Gilbert, program coordinator for the study abroad program.

“It’s like a private version of the UW system,” Gibert said.

She said the Tec de Monterrey system will be sending a representative from their Chihuahua campus to the Study Abroad Fair to speak on behalf of the entire university system.

While there are 33 campuses in the Tec de Monterrey system, assistant director Kristen Michelson said the Study Abroad department is looking to focus on a subset of eight to 10 campuses.

Sogang University, one of the other new programs being offered, gives Marquette students the chance to study abroad in South Korea for the first time. Gilbert said that while the program isn’t well known yet, it’s one of the more exciting environments for students to study abroad.

Sogang is unique for more than its location. According to Michelson, the university was founded by Wisconsin Jesuits.

“There’s sort of a natural connection there,” Michelson said.

She added that students shouldn’t fear any language barrier. Like most of the other study abroad programs, students from Marquette don’t have to speak the native language to apply or attend.

Aside from the new additions, some older study abroad offerings are already popular and will stand out at the fair. Three of them—Marquette en Madrid, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the South Africa Service Learning Program—were chosen to include student ambassadors to help get students interested in specific programs.

College of Nursing senior Liz Young, the student ambassador for the South Africa program, will be one of the representatives for the South Africa program at the Study Abroad Fair. Young participated in the program last spring semester and said her experience was fantastic. In this particular program, she said, the focus is on service learning and helping the Cape Town community.

The Marquette program in South Africa is unique in other ways. Michelson said while most schools that send students to Cape Town send them to the University of Cape Town, Marquette’s program takes students to the University of the Western Cape, a university established for the purpose of racially integrating higher education in South Africa.

“Other programs are nothing like what Marquette has,” said Gilbert. “Students in our program are better able to get a full picture.”

Each booth at the fair will offer sign-ups for various informational sessions held throughout September for students to learn more about the trips they’re considering.

In addition to the Study Abroad Fair, OIE offers pre-advising sessions every Friday from 2:30 to 3:30 in AMU 407.

Students planning on studying abroad in spring 2010 need to have their applications in by Oct. 1. The deadline for applications for summer or fall programs is March 1.