Students have been crossing boarders -- as well as oceans, in pursuit of learning experiences for thousands of years. They've evolved from serving apprenticeships to craftsmen to studying abroad to broaden their horizons in art, medicine, math and business. Regardless of what the field of study, certain benefits are enjoyed by all:
1. Expanded horizons lead to personal growth for college students. Meeting people with vastly different backgrounds from yours will stretch your ability to understand and tolerate differing views and beliefs. Relationships built during foreign study tend to last lifetimes and leave doors open for future experiences. Your world view will broaden, and as a result, so will your independence and maturity.
2. It is a training ground for intercultural development. Over 98% of respondents to one survey report that their time abroad helped them to see their own values and biases more clearly and evaluate them from a broader perspective. Future global leaders sometimes start their journey to understanding as students studying on foreign soil. Students represent the face of America to a generation of their peers and have the opportunity to open doors of communication everywhere they go.
3. A sharper view of future goals. The majority of American college students return home with a renewed passion to extend their learning by going to graduate school. Some even come back with a completely new career path that they might not have ever realized if they'd not journeyed a far.
Whereas international study programs used to be primarily a year long, today there are ample opportunities for ten or even six-week courses. If you can swing it, try to stay as long as possible. The longer your experience, the more likely these benefits will positively impact you.
Your advisor is the place to start. He or she will have the necessary applications for you and advise you about credit hours and even the possibility of financial aid funds that transfer. You have everything to gain.
Jim Hart has been the director of academic advising at a medium-sized university for eight years. His interests include student exchange programs, online college graduate degrees, career advising, online degrees in the sciences, and CLEP examinations.
Comments on this entry are closed.