Maymester
Maymesters take college education beyond
Presbyterian College students quickly discover that a college education extends well beyond the classroom. They learn from new experiences. New encounters. New people. But one of the most exciting and innovative educational opportunities for PC students takes them beyond campus and, in many cases, around the world.
What is Maymester?
Maymester, at the end of each academic year, offers students an in-depth look at a single subject. A Maymester culminates in a three to four-week travel experience led by their professors each May.
Interested in Pacific island flora and fauna? How about a trip to the Galapagos to see it in person? Interested in the Montessori Method of teaching? Why not travel to Italy where Maria Montessori developed her curriculum. (And the traditional food is awesome.) Want to tour the Netherlands, on a bicycle?
Maymesters have taken PC students to castles in Europe, places Lewis and Clark explored, and where Disney makes its magic. All of these experiences and more are available each spring at PC – where professors regularly go above and, yes, beyond.
Past Maymester Adventures
Maymester 2022
PC students and professors traveled 7,500 miles for a life-changing Maymester trip to Fiji. Ciera Carter, a rising senior double majoring in history and biology, was one student on the trip led by history professors Dr. Roy Campbell and Dr. Mike Nelson.
English professor Dr. Justin Brent led a group of 16 PC students to the Netherlands. And the group didn’t just tour the Netherlands – they toured the country on bicycles! Beaches, churches, quaint shops, and traditional windmills all were pictured and captured in students’ narratives, read more about the Netherlands trip.
Maymester 2021
Maymester trips for 2021 where be postponed until the summer sessions or rescheduled to a later date
Maymester 2020
Maymester trips for 2020 where be postponed until the summer sessions or rescheduled to a later date
Maymester 2019
his past spring, five professors took a group of 36 students and alumni on a week-long Maymester trip to Spain. The Maymester proved to be a rich and rewarding experience in a country with a long and varied history, strong culture, beautiful scenery and architecture, and world-class food and drink.
Maymester 2018
One of the most rewarding things I have done at Presbyterian College is participating in one of our many Maymester programs. At PC, a Maymester is a unique study abroad experience in which you enroll in a course during the spring semester, which meets once or twice a week, and then you go on a trip that relates to the course you took. The travel part of the course takes place in May and lasts for about two weeks.
Maymester 2017
A group of 13 business students spent two weeks studying at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, England, with Dr. Jody Lipford and Professor Cindy Lucking. Edge Hill University, one of PC’s partner schools, is home to more than 9,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students. Edge Hill is located close to the thriving market town of Ormskirk in the heart of northwest England.
Ever wanted to visit Australia? Dr. Michael Rischbieter and Dr. Jim Wetzel of the biology department recently led a Maymester trip to Australia. Twenty PC students joined them as they spent one week in Melbourne, the second-most populous city in Australia, and one week in Tasmania, an island state separated from the Australian mainland by the Bass Strait.
Maymester 2016
Dr. Michael Rischbieter and Dr. Jim Wetzel of the biology department recently led a Maymester trip to Australia. Twenty PC students joined them as they spent one week in Melbourne, the second most populous city in Australia, and one week in Tasmania, an island state separated from the Australian mainland by the Bass Strait.
Nineteen PC students had the opportunity to study classical political thought and the economic crisis in Greece while visiting various sites throughout this European country. The Maymester trip, offered by the political science department, was led by Dr. Booker Ingram and Dr. Justin Lance.
“For PC students, Scotland is a ‘must do’ because it serves as a reminder of how important the Scottish heritage is to PC. From John Knox, the Celtic cross, and Presbyterianism, to Blue Hose, kilts, and bagpipes, Presbyterian College is quintessentially Scottish,” said Dr. Roy Campbell concerning the Maymester trip he recently led to Scotland along with Dr. Dean Thompson.
Maymester 2015
In May 2015, Mary Weaver, a Mathematics major minoring in Secondary Education and English, traveled to Germany and France with the English and History Departments. The group arrived in Munich and traveled from there to Oberwesel and the Rhine and Mosel Valleys while making their way to Paris. The English course entitled, “The Castle” focused on the role of castles in literature. Students studied several works, from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
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