Q&A with Olivia Stidham

Olivia Stidham said even though IU is in the middle of the country, she still has a lot of good opportunities to travel to other places to hone her skills. She also likes living a short distance from home.

MAJOR: Double major in international studies and French
HOMETOWN: Indianapolis
DORM: Eigenmann

Q: Even though you’re in Indiana, how have you gotten involved in international affairs?

A: Taking the classes does a lot, and the professors are always very knowledgeable. I’ve had a lot of professors who aren’t actually American, so they can give you a different perspective.

Q: Are you planning to study abroad?

A: Yes, I plan on spending my entire junior year in France.

Q: Do you think IU has a lot of opportunities to go and explore other places?

A: I think IU has an incredible amount of study abroad opportunities. I’ve been to the Office of Overseas study, and they’ve got binders all over the walls full of all the information.

Q: How did you feel about your distance away from home?

A: Sometimes I would think it was too close, but when my car broke down, it was nice being that close. It’s a good distance because you can be far enough away, but if something happens, you’re just a phone call away.

Q: What advice would you give to incoming freshmen?

A: Read course descriptions carefully. You don’t want to take a class and think it’s going to be one thing, but if you had actually read the description, it would be another. And try not to get too behind on work. It’s really easy to get distracted and procrastinate, but sometimes you’ve just got to buckle down and sit in the library for a couple hours.