FROM VERTO EDUCATION

Greg Caso -- Academic Success Coordinator, Costa Rica What's your name and position with Verto? I'm Greg Caso and I'm an Academic Success Coordinator in Costa Rica. What are you most looking forward to this semester? I am most looking forward to meeting students and staff and working through any academic challenges together. Also, I…

This week, we’re featuring our #VertoBound 2021 Raffle winner – Danitza Velazquez! As the Verto Bound Raffle Winner, Danitza will study with Verto in Costa Rica this fall, followed by Spain this spring. Her roundtrip airfare will be fully sponsored by Verto Education! 5 Fun Facts About Danitza Velazquez Verto attracts adventurous, ambitious, and compassionate…

College application season is right around the corner! This exciting time is also potentially nerve-wracking, especially if you're worried about your grades. This week, Jodi Marcus shares some of her top tips for getting into your dream school if your grades don't quite make the cut. How can I get into the college of my…

What goes into sustainable packing? Interested in learning how to pack everything you need to study abroad AND save the planet?  This week, Verto Education Program Leader Kelley Reardon will show you the ropes of sustainable packing using these 7 helpful tips! Photo by Holly Mandarich (@hollymandarich) via Unsplash Why pack sustainably when studying abroad?…

Making friends for life is always the highlight of every Verto semester. Curious what a day in the life of a Verto semester student is like?! Who better to tell you all about it than current Verto students themselves! This week’s blog is written by student Eleanor Mathews in London. *** This is an example…

Honor Stoner -- Field Instructor, Environmental Science What's your name and position with Verto? I'm Honor Stoner and I'm a Field Instructor for Environmental Science. What are you most looking forward to this semester? I am most looking forward to visiting new places and meeting students that enjoy traveling/new experiences. I have not been to…

Implement these tips into your college essay and you'll be doing a victory dance at your dream college (or in a kayak on your semester!) in no time. We know you’ve been reading up on “College Essays that Worked” threads on Reddit for weeks. Every essay you read seems so unique and well-done… It’s like…

Lived in a Van for 4 Months! While Galen Merigliano has lived in diverse situations all over the world, van-life was definitely a unique adventure, even for him! Galen was excited to try out living in a van during his time leading an outdoor education program in New Zealand. Van-life is only one of the…

Many students inadvertently spend the first year struggling to adapt to the rigor of college academics and the huge life adjustment to increased independence and responsibility. To call my first year in college unhappy would be an understatement. I remember feeling utterly overwhelmed by all the options and somehow, simultaneously, like there was nothing right…

Verto students learn from local experts from around the world on their Hybrid and in-person semesters. We get it. This year is not what anyone expected. Zoom classes just aren’t the same and you’re worried about missing out on making new friends, joining clubs, and having an exciting first year of college. We don't blame…

Fall 2019 students on the Verto Latin America semester compare language learning notes from class in their favorite study spot - the beach! I remember when I first started learning a second language. It was Spanish, and I was a sophomore in high school. As things started to click in place, I realized that Spanish…

This is a guest post by Gary Robinson, one of Verto’s mental health consultants. In addition to working with Verto, Gary is the Director of Counseling at Hartwick College and co-founder of P3 Mental Health Advisors. Connecting with others and sharing experiences are an integral part of a Verto semester. Choosing to travel after graduation…

Verto students go out of their comfort zones to discover themselves and the world around them, giving them valuable life experience. Here, students in Fiji take a coffee break between classes. If you’ve read our Verto and Employability article, you already know that as a Verto alum, you’ve graduated with some seriously sought-after skills. Even…

Independence, cultural competence, courage… we’ve all heard about the benefits of spending time abroad. Yes, these are excellent personal traits, but will they actually help you achieve your post-graduation goals? In an increasingly competitive job market, it makes sense to wonder about whether study abroad is a worthwhile investment in your future. The awesome news:…

Gap years can be expensive, stressful to plan, and potentially set students back from graduating on time and beginning their careers.  We like to say that Verto is not a gap year because our students don’t experience any “gap.” With a Verto semester, students get to have the epic adventures of a year off while…

With so many uncertainties at traditional universities for this coming Fall 2020 semester, applications for admission to Verto have increased dramatically. With that in mind, we have made the decision to limit our Fall 2020 entering class to 500 students.  We just passed 5,000 applications for an enrolling class of 500 students. While we have…

How to Decide on a College without Visiting Most of us would never buy a car or a house without seeing it in person first. So what happens when you have to make just as big and important of an investment without ever laying your eyes on it?  Choosing the right college can feel like…