The Case for Studying Abroad

There is something serious we need to address with the youth of America. Drink milk, play outside, brush your teeth and, when the time comes, study abroad.

According to a survey from NAFSA: Association for International Educators, only 1 percent of all students enrolled at an institution of higher education study abroad. One percent! The world is the greatest education out there, and 99 percent of our students aren’t taking advantage of it.

Some say you can’t know another person until you’ve walked in their shoes. Walking their streets in their city, and sharing the same living space with their students, is pretty darn close. It really is a different experience to read about the plight of child labor in India, and to meet the children struggling to educate themselves at a rural development center (where I once stayed overnight on an excursion sponsored by Semester at Sea). Turning a page, flipping a channel and trying to look away from what’s right in front of you are three different concepts. Would you compare wandering the halls of the Louvre to reading or watching “The Da Vinci Code”?

Right after I returned from my semester abroad, my dad decided that we should all go to Greece as a family for summer vacation. I never felt more isolated from my parents than I did when I realized my traveling style had morphed completely from passive to engaged. I bought a pocket guide before I left, read it cover to cover on the plane, and was determined to practice the key words and phrases included in the back (even if they were just parakalo and efcharisto — “please” and “thank you”). I begged to take public transit rather than overpay for taxis and made every effort to skip tourist traps. My parents were both amused and slightly annoyed by my quest to avoid the tourist stereotype at all costs. In the end, I survived with my newfound travel dignity intact by taking several side trips on my own, which I never would have had the courage to do without my independent experiences abroad.

Granted, the world isn’t free. For those needing financial assistance, a number of study abroad grants are available. The general rule is that if you can afford a semester of college, you should be able to afford that semester in another currency. Many schools offer in-house study abroad programs, so to speak, that make the transition from campus to Cadiz fairly seamless.

Other institutions, such as my alma mater, Semester at Sea, offer unique opportunities like studying abroad in multiple countries while completing your coursework at sea. You can even study in the frozen plains of Antarctica (through Antarctic University Expedition and other universities), or the forbidden lands of Cuba (see Academic Programs International) and North Korea (check out the Pyongyang Project).

Way past your college years and want to see the world through new eyes? Many institutions offer adult programs so you too can engage in an academic adventure. Lifelong Learning is Semester at Sea’s onboard program for adult learners who wish to take courses, mentor and even present seminars on their areas of expertise.

— written by Brittany Chrusciel