Admission > Gap Year & Term Abroad > Term Abroad at ALA > Program Highlights

The Term Abroad Program at ALA

The term abroad program gives outstanding students from around the world the opportunity to spend a term immersed in the ALA experience. Students selected for the program will enjoy:

Broad exposure to the African continent
Students will live and interact on a daily basis with the most outstanding young leaders from across Africa and will complete ALA’s unique interdisciplinary African studies curriculum. They will be exposed to African history, politics, anthropology, geography, literature, art, and music. Students will leave with an understanding of pressing challenges on the African continent, including hunger eradication, disease prevention, health care provision, economic growth, and conflict resolution – and will discover how these challenges can be solved.

Making an impact through service learning
Each term abroad student will participate in a variety of service learning activities that provide deep exposure to the challenges and opportunities on the African continent. Students may participate in a wide range of service activities that improve the lives of residents of disadvantaged communities.

Academic coursework and language study
ALA’s Associate Dean will work with the student and their home school to shape an academic program that fits their needs. Students will have the opportunity to take courses in mathematics, sciences, and languages that are built on the rigorous Cambridge A-Level curriculum. ALA offers term abroad students the particularly exciting opportunity to work with native speakers and build competence in any of a wide range of languages spoken on the continent, including French, Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili, and Zulu.

World-class instruction and mentorship
Students will interact regularly with an outstanding global faculty and will develop a relationship with a distinguished personal mentor. ALA Experts-in-Residence, including faculty from leading universities and renowned global leaders and entrepreneurs, will lead short seminars that challenge students to broaden their horizons and prepare them for the challenges of leadership.

Leadership and entrepreneurial skill development
Students will deeply engage in ALA’s world-class programs in leadership and entrepreneurship. They will develop the mindset and foundation of skills necessary to design innovative solutions to challenging problems, and they will hone the leadership skills necessary to mobilize people and resources as an agent of positive change.