Should My Student Study Abroad?

This is the time of the year when students apply to leave their county and travel abroad for a semester or a year. This often scares parents to death—but it doesn’t have to. Still, students ask their parents: should I study abroad? I’d recommend you say “yes,” but let me expand on that.

Why Study Abroad?

There are many great reasons for studying abroad, and you may hear these from your student’s Admissions counselor. First, it exposes students to another culture. This is often eye-opening, especially for American students. Getting outside their comfort zones by traveling to someplace far away makes their learning come alive.

Students tell me that living in another country for a semester or a year really challenges them. That’s what Kaplan says as well. Another common reason for studying abroad is the ability to learn another language. I traveled for a very short two weeks to attend a language school in Costa Rica many years ago. My short time in Costa Rica gave my Spanish language skills a significant shot because I was forced to use the language everywhere I went. What better way to learn a language than by being forced to use it every single day! This was also the experience for Laura Razzuri. She studied Arabic in Jordan and became very proficient in the language. She also talked about serving as an informal ambassador, since she was often the first American and first Latina that people in Jordan had ever met. Your student can do the same when they study abroad.

Two other significant reasons for studying abroad are that they help students mature and become more independent. Students who have to negotiate their way through traveling to classes using another language thrive in ways they may not if they had stayed home. These students answer the question of should I study abroad with a resounding “yes!”

Forms of Study Abroad

There are several ways to study abroad. The traditional method was for students to leave their university for a semester or year and live in another country. My college had the same design. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), about thirty percent of students study abroad for a semester, while only two percent study for a full year. But since my college years, many universities have developed shorter programs, such as study tours. In study tours, students take a short three to five week course. They often take these courses in a foreign site depending on the course content. In fact, now about forty-five percent of students participate in these short-term experiences, either during the summer or the winter.

One thing to consider is that these short-term experiences are often paid for solely by the student with no financial aid whatsoever. Students who participate in semester long or full academic year programs may have their federal and often state financial aid pay for much of it. This means that students may pay only airfare and some personal expenses to study abroad for a semester, but they have to foot the entire bill for a three thousand dollar five-week study tour. This is something to think about.

Who Studies Abroad?

Many students study abroad because they want to learn another language, or because their major requires it. This is obvious for students studying international affairs, or international public policy. But other students could study abroad, too. Universities often encourage business students to study abroad as well. They can gain a better understanding of commerce and monetary systems by studying abroad. And because of the growth of the global economy, learning how business works in another country is a great way to expand their knowledge and skills. Students in other majors, such as marketing or environmental studies, can benefit as well.

But many other students don’t study abroad at very high rates. Students who are the first in their families to go to college often don’t study abroad. The same applies to students of color. The NCES website says that of the American students who study abroad, seventy percent are Caucasian, while only six percent are African American. I’d like more students who are underrepresented in study abroad to take that leap. It would be one way to level the playing field and probably improve their graduation rates and competitiveness for jobs and graduate school after college.

Ready, Set, Go

The first decision on whether or not to study abroad ought to come from your student, but you can make that decision easier for them by laying out the advantages and challenges of studying abroad. Be realistic about what they should expect, but also encourage them to take that leap of faith. The benefits of studying abroad are significant, and the experience can help your student mature and become far more confident as they prepare to enter the world of work and “adulting.”