Studying Abroad: Do It If You Can

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. Ambassador status. Our university students in other countries represent our country to their peers with everything they do. Such intercultural exchanges likely explain why over 98% of college students who took a world study survey claim that they returned home with a broadened perspective of the value system that they went away with. Extended periods of international travel, especially while still young and 'open' to the world they see, allows for introspection that might not have been as prolific at home.

3. Travel will expand your view of your career options. More often than not, college students who have studied abroad either decide to continue their education beyond what they previously planned or change their area of study to something that they feel will be more fulfilling.

The longer the student spends time away from their base campus, the more likely the benefits are to increase. The average length of stay over the past few decades has shortened considerably. Whereas the majority of college students used to study abroad for a full academic year, now the average stay is under ten weeks. Nonetheless, similar benefits are still reported.

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.

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