Advising
During the academic year, students can drop into our office in the Student Life Center for in-person advising from 1–4pm, Monday through Friday. GEO advisors also offer 1:1 advising appointments in person or via Zoom.
Prior to meeting with a GEO advisor, you are highly encouraged to attend an in-person Study Abroad OverVU session (offered every Tuesday at 4pm in GEO). Alternatively, you can review resources on the Getting Started page before scheduling an advising appointment.
Scroll down to meet our advisors and book an appointment. If you can't find a time that works for you or you'd prefer to meet in person, please click the Email link below the advisor's name to request alternate arrangements.
Advising appointments are offered to Vanderbilt undergraduate students only. Others, including parents and family, are requested to email us at geo@vanderbilt.edu.
GEO Staff Advisors
GEO staff advisors provide support and guidance to students on all aspects of the study abroad experience. We advise students on topics including: program selection and application, coursework abroad, identity and travel, study-abroad-based Immersion Vanderbilt opportunities, intercultural development, pre-departure preparation, re-entry, and more.
In addition to being knowledgeable about opportunities for international engagement, GEO staff have participated in trainings such as P.R.I.D.E, Green Dot, Disrupting Everyday Bias among others to better support students' experiences.
GEO also offers multiple events throughout each semester for students to learn more about study abroad, including our Study Abroad OverVU introductory sessions. Check out upcoming events here!
Tyler Walker
Office Hours: Thurs 1-3, Fri 2-4
Advising:
General study abroad questions, Czech Republic, England, South Korea, Spain (Madrid, Palma & Bilbao), Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship
Jillian Madden
Office Hours: Mon 2-4, Thurs 2-4
Advising:
General study abroad questions, Australia, Samoa, Spain (Barcelona, Granada & Seville)
Caroline Nikolaus
Office Hours: Wed 2-4, Fri 1-3
Advising:
General study abroad questions, Austria, France (American University of Paris and Georgia Tech Lorraine only), Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and CIEE Open Campus programs
Yuanqi (Suzy) Wang
Office Hours: Tues 1-3, Wed 1-3
Advising:
General study abroad questions, Cameroon, China (including Hong Kong), Denmark, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Sweden, Taiwan, Uganda, Vietnam
Gabriela Luis
Office Hours: Mon 1-3, Tues 2-4
Advising:
General study abroad questions, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France (Columbia in Paris and CIEE Toulouse only), IHP, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore
Arik Ohnstad
Office Hours: By Appointment
Advising:
General study abroad questions, India, Nepal, Serbia, Switzerland
Health and Safety Guidance
Vanderbilt’s Office of Global Safety provides health and safety guidance to all VU travelers, including GEO study abroad students. They provide individualized health and safety advice to study abroad students, such as traveling with medication, setting up continued care, utilizing Vanderbilt-issued international insurance, addressing identity-based safety and health concerns, and more.
The Office of Global Safety is a resource for students at any point in the study abroad process. To make an appointment to discuss health, safety, and well-being abroad, please reach out to Isabelle Crist, Assistant Director of the Office of Global Safety. General inquiries can also be directed to globalsafety@vanderbilt.edu.
Isabelle S. Crist
Advising:
Health, safety, and well-being guidance for all VU faculty, staff and student travelers, including GEO study abroad students
GEO Peer Advisors
Peer Advisors are the student representatives of GEO on Vanderbilt’s campus. Peer Advisors lead study abroad outreach events around campus and hold office hours at GEO to assist prospective students.
Nathan Miao
Nathan comes from a suburb just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. He is a Public Policy Studies and Cinema and Media Arts double major in the College of Arts and Sciences. He studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland during the fall semester of 2021. Nathan loves watching movies, cooking, photography, hiking, and reading non-fiction books.
Grace Kim
Grace Kim is from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. She is a junior in the Blair School of Music, and a flute performance major in the 5-year music education program and minoring in special education. She was a student at DIS Copenhagen Fall 2021 in the Child Development and Diversity core course.
Study Abroad Alumni
Talking to peers who have studied abroad, particularly on programs you are interested in is a great way to gather information. The following study abroad alumni have offered to serve as a resource to prospective students interested in their program. Feel free to connect with them via email!
Chile
Maia Czarnecki CASA Santiago, Chile, Spring 2022
Czech Republic
Erica Yeagley CET Prague, Spring 2022
Denmark
Niya Burney DIS Copenhagen, Spring 2022
Sydney Takemoto DIS Copenhagen, Spring 2022
Grace Kim '23 DIS Copenhagen, Fall 2021
Isabelle Guicherit '22 DIS Copenhagen, Fall 2021
Kristi Maisha '22 DIS Copenhagen, Fall 2021
Chamberlyn Barnett '22 DIS Copenhagen, Fall 2021
Melanie Fann '22 DIS Copenhagen, Fall 2021
England
Eden Roberson IFSA University of Leeds, Spring 2022
Italy
Leydi Alatorre Medina CET Siena, Spring 2022
Margaret Sturm '23 CET Florence, Fall 2021
Jordan
Agneetta Moisio '22 CET Jordan (Amman), Fall 2021
South Africa
Spencer Harrison CIEE Open Campus: Cape Town, Spring 2022
South Korea
Grace Lamont '22 CIEE Seoul: Arts and Sciences (Yonsei University), Fall 2021
MacKenzie Gleason '22 CIEE Seoul: Arts and Sciences (Yonsei University), Fall 2021
Spain
Julia Lorio CIEE Barcelona: Advanced Liberal Arts, Spring 2022
Natali Lanfir CIEE Barcelona: Advanced Liberal Arts, Spring 2022
Stuart Waller CIEE Madrid: Engineering & Society, Spring 2022
Lauren Cerda '22 CASA Seville, Fall 2021
Sweden
Christopher Chen DIS Stockholm, Spring 2022
Switzerland
Nathan Miao '23 SIT Switzerland: International Relations and Multilateral Diplomacy, Fall 2021