WHY STUDY ABROAD
1. Study abroad is the optimal way to
learn a language. There is no better and more
effective way to learn a language than to be immersed in a culture
that speaks the language you are learning. You're surrounded by the
language on a daily basis and are seeing and hearing it in the
proper cultural context. Language learning happens most quickly
under these circumstances.
2. Study abroad provides
the opportunity to travel. Weekends and
academic breaks allow you to venture out and explore
your surroundings - both your immediate and more distant
surroundings. Since studying abroad often puts you on a
completely different continent, you are much closer to
places you might otherwise not have had the opportunity
to visit. Some more structured study abroad programs
even have field trips planned in or around the
curriculum.
3. Study abroad allows you
get to know another culture first-hand.
Cultural differences are more than just differences in
language, food, appearances, and personal habits. A
person's culture reflects very deep perceptions,
beliefs, and values that influence his or her way of
life and the way that s/he views the world. Students who
experience cultural differences personally can come to
truly understand where other cultures are coming from.
4. Study abroad will help
you develop skills and give you experiences a classroom
setting will never provide. Being
immersed in an entirely new cultural setting is scary at
first, but it's also exciting. It's an opportunity to
discover new strengths and abilities, conquer new
challenges, and solve new problems. You will encounter
situations that are wholly unfamiliar to you and will
learn to adapt and respond in effective ways.
5. Study abroad affords
you the opportunity to make friends around the world.
While abroad, you will meet not only natives to the
culture in which you are studying, but also other
international students who are as far from home as
yourself.
6. Study abroad helps you
to learn about yourself. Students who
study abroad return home with new ideas and perspectives
about themselves and their own culture. The experience
abroad often challenges them to reconsider their own
beliefs and values. The experience may perhaps
strengthen those values or it may cause students to
alter or abandon them and embrace new concepts and
perceptions. The encounter with other cultures enables
students to see their own culture through new eyes.
7. Study abroad expands
your worldview. In comparison with
citizens of most other countries, Americans tend to be
uninformed about the world beyond the nation's
boundaries. Students who study abroad return home with
an informed and much less biased perspective toward
other cultures and peoples.
8. Study abroad gives you
the opportunity to break out of your academic routine.
Study abroad is likely to be much unlike what you are
used to doing as a student. You may become familiar with
an entirely new academic system and you will have the
chance to take courses not offered on your home campus.
It's also a great opportunity to break out the monotony
of the routine you follow semester after semester.
9. Study abroad enhances
employment opportunities. Did you know
that only 4% of U.S. undergraduates ever study abroad?
Yet, the world continues to become more globalized,
American countries are increasingly investing dollars
abroad, and companies from countries around the world
continue to invest in the international market. Through
an employer's seyes, a student who has studied abroad is
self-motivated, independent, willing to embrace
challenges, and able to cope with diverse problems and
situations. Your experience living and studying in a
foreign country, negotiating another culture, and
acquiring another language will all set you apart from
the majority of other job applicants.
10. Study abroad can enhance the value of your degree. While abroad, you can take courses you would never have had the opportunity to take on your home campus. In addition, study abroad gives your language skills such a boost that it is normally quite easy to add a minor in a language or even a second major without having to take many more additional courses after the return to your home campus.
MYTHS & MISCONCEPTIONS
Misinformation and outright falsehoods
keep many students from even considering studying abroad each year.
Too many students mistakenly believe that there is no place in their
academic plan or major for time abroad or that study abroad is just
a luxury that they can neither afford nor benefit from. Au
contraire! Below are some of the most common myths students believe
about studying abroad and, more importantly, the facts that debunk
them.
Myth #1: I have to study in an
English-speaking country because I don't know any foreign languages.
This is a common misconception. There are many study abroad programs
that require no prior foreign language instruction and will provide
you with intensive language classes at the beginning of your stay
abroad. Other programs require just one semester of a language
before you depart for a given country. It's true that the more
language background you have before you leave, the more immersed you
can become once you arrive. However, you shouldn't let lack of
skills in a language stop you from studying in a particular country.
Study abroad programs in English-speaking countries are far more
competitive than those in countries where other native languages
dominate. This is in part because so many students share the common
misconception that their monolingualism restricts their choices to
English-speaking countries.
Myth #2: I'll have to extend my
studies or won't graduate on time if I take time out to go abroad.
The fact is that you can typically earn college credits while
studying abroad, both toward fulfilling general education
requirements as well as toward your major. In fact, study abroad can
give your language skills such a boost that adding a minor or even a
second major in a language may require very few, if any, additional
courses after you return to your home campus. In addition to
year-long programs, many universities offer semester-long or summer
programs. And if it so happens that you must delay graduation for a
few months to fit in studying abroad, what you will gain from the
experience far outweighs what you think you'd be sacrificing.
Myth #3: I don't have enough money to
study abroad. Studying abroad often costs the same or even less than spending the
same time at your home campus. Especially if you study in a country
that has a lower cost of living than at home, your day-to-day living
expenses may be far lower than those you are accustomed to. In
addition, if you qualify for financial aid, you can still receive
this aid while studying in an credit-earning study abroad program.
Because your personal contribution is assumed to be less while
abroad (since it's not expected you will be able to work while out
of the country), you may even qualify for more aid for your study
abroad year. For the same reason, students who have never qualified
for financial aid may do so for the first time when they decide to
study abroad.
Myth #4: I can always travel later
once I have a job and am earning money. That is just as good.
Easier said than done. Once you are locked into a job and
responsibilities, it's very difficult to get away for any length of
time. You may have a difficult time getting the time off from work
and you probably won't be able to afford unpaid vacation time
because you will have locked yourself into long-term financial
responsibilities: a car, rent payments or a mortgage, credit cards,
and family responsibilities, for example. In addition, traveling as
a tourist is a much different experience than living as an
integrated part of a foreign culture. The two experiences are
incomparably different. As a tourist, you will typically be seen as
an outsider. When you live in a foreign culture and participate in
its day-to-day life, you become an immersed and daily participant in
the culture.
Myth #5: Only language majors study
abroad.
Study abroad programs are open to students of all majors, and in
fact, more social sciences, business, humanities, and arts majors
study abroad than foreign language majors. You certainly could add a
language major to your studies as a result of your study abroad
units, but you will also very likely be able to earn units for other
majors as well as to fulfill general education requirements at your
university.
Myth #6: Study abroad is not for
everyone. No matter what your major, gender, ethnic background, or interests,
studying in a foreign country can benefit you personally,
academically, and professionally. There are a myriad of programs
available around the world. There are sure to be several that suit
your needs and interests.
Myth #7: Study abroad is a luxury.
Some students (and their parents) believe that studying abroad is
not really studying. Quite the contrary! It's true that the academic
setting will probably be different than what you are used to, but
that doesn't make it any less valuable. In addition to the formal
instruction you receive, numerous learning experiences will happen
outside the classroom - experiences you would never get at your home
college or university. The entire experience abroad will change your
life as well as enhance your resume and employment potential. In
fact, international experience is increasingly important for those
seeking a job in an global economy that relies on good relations and
the ability to communicate with diverse peoples around the world.
If you talk to anybody who has ever
studied abroad, they will likely tell you that any worries or
concerns they had before they departed melted away once they arrived
in their host country. They will confirm to you that their
experience was well worth any extra expense or time it may have
taken and that the benefits they have experienced as a result are
more numerous and lasting than they ever could have imagined.