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Ohio University student studies at MUDEC

Megan Furlong walking through a beautiful green scene in Ireland

By Rachel Berry

MUDEC Chateau in Differdange, Luxembourg, blue skies and ivy on castleAlthough Megan Furlong goes to Ohio University, she was no stranger to Luxembourg when she decided to study abroad there.

Furlong’s grandpa attended Miami University and was close friends with John Dolibois while in college. Dolibois went on to found the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) in Luxembourg and later invited Furlong’s grandparents to come visit and tour.

Furlong’s dad also went to Miami and studied abroad at MUDEC for a semester while he was in college. He still talks about how much of an impact this experience had on his life, so Furlong knew she wanted to go abroad in college as well.

When considering study abroad options, Furlong approached an advisor in OU’s study abroad office and mentioned her dad’s experiences as one of her reasons for wanting to go.

“You could probably go on the Miami one, that exact one, if you want,” the advisor said.

Furlong didn’t know this was an option since she doesn’t go to Miami, but she looked up the program and applied. Furlong was drawn to Luxembourg because of its central location, which provides the ability to travel all across Europe. She also said her school doesn’t offer as many semester-long programs, and she knew she wanted to study abroad for a longer period of time.

When Furlong ended up going, she was the only student at MUDEC not from Miami.

“I was a little nervous at first, but a lot of the people that ended up going didn’t know each other even though they went to Miami,” Furlong said. “It felt really comfortable, and I felt like everyone was really nice to me and brought me into the whole Miami family … if anything I met a lot of cool new people from a different school.”

Furlong was in Luxembourg during MUDEC’s 50th anniversary and was also given the opportunity to serve on the Student Faculty Council, through which she was able to meet the ambassador to Luxembourg.

Megan sitting on a dock in front of a beautiful blue body of water in SloveniaDuring her time in Luxembourg, Furlong had the opportunity to travel to various countries throughout Europe. Even some of the courses were connected to traveling, such as a class in detective fiction where they were able to go to the places they were reading about.

One of her favorite places she visited was Ireland. Furlong’s family is Irish, so she was able to find her family’s crest while she was there.

“It was so beautiful—probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to,” Furlong said. “Immediately when I landed, I just felt the sense of peace.”

Furlong said she took away something from each place she visited.

“Each of those experiences I took with me, and it expanded my perspective of the world even if it was just going some place for the weekend,” she said. “Just those couple of days really expanded my viewpoint and understanding of just how different cultures function, and it definitely made the world seem a lot smaller.”

Furlong took a chance on Luxembourg and was able to try new things through meeting friends from a different school and through all of the places she visited while abroad.

“I tried to go to any place and try anything possible, and in doing that I think it really helped me a lot, just being open minded,” Furlong said.

Apply to MUDEC

Not a Miami University student? You are still welcome to apply to participate in the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) program. Be sure to check with the study abroad office at your home university to find out their process for transferring credit from study abroad programs. Upon completion of the program and coursework, students will receive a transcript from Miami University.