Western officials are taking a new approach to spread the word about study abroad.

Study abroad officials announced last week that Western will have weekly information sessions starting Wednesday for those interested in studying abroad.

The sessions will cover topics including credit transfer, financial aid and available scholarships, according to a Western press release.

Jerry Barnaby, interim director of Study Abroad and Global Learning, said students often ask the same general questions about going abroad. He said the sessions will hopefully help address that issue.

“This will be a more efficient process for students and our department,” he said.

Melinda Farmer, study abroad adviser, said it was her idea to start offering the sessions.

She said she thought the sessions could reach more students at once.

Farmer said attending a session is the first step a student should take when looking to study abroad.

She said that after attending a session a student should schedule an individual meeting with an adviser in the study abroad office.

She said she hopes the sessions will also help disprove some study abroad myths.

“Some students think that they cannot study abroad because you have to be wealthy or that you have to be a language major, and that’s not true,” Farmer said. “We want to make sure that everyone has the correct information.”

She said she doesn’t think Western will make study abroad mandatory for students.

James Flynn, interim chief international officer, said he thinks these sessions will be a great opportunity for students to talk to someone one-on-one about available opportunities.

“There’s nothing that makes you more aware of the global interconnectedness in our world than traveling abroad or studying abroad,” he said.