Study abroad helps students soar

By Laura Mecham

march 8, 2007 | An increasing number of university students across the nation are taking advantage of the opportunity to study and travel abroad and gaining great cultural insights in the process.

Since the mid-1980s, the number of American students studying abroad has nearly tripled, according to the Institute of International Education's 2005 report, with about 200,000 students studying abroad each year. Some universities require students to spend a semester abroad, but many students pursue studying overseas independently. Students who take advantage of these opportunities recognize there is not only a great deal to learn studying at a foreign university, but their time abroad offers them the opportunity to experience and expose themselves to a culture different than their own.

Laurel Bernick, student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, spent fall semester 2006 studying in Barcelona, Spain. She said although she acquired a much better comprehension of the language and learned a great deal from her studies, the most significant thing she gained from her experience was learning about Spanish culture.

"In Spain, most of the people make very little money compared to Americans, but they are just as happy, if not happier, because they spend their days with people they care about. They don't have a lot of money but they have a lot of time and live very fulfilled lives," she said.

Bernick said Americans have a lot to gain from an experience abroad. She said many American students are unaware of how different their culture and global perspective is from the rest of the world. She said spending time immersed in a different culture really opened her eyes and gave her a greater global outlook.

Elyse Arrington, a student at the University of Utah, spent a semester in Colchester, England, and said she too felt experiencing a new culture was the most important part of her time abroad.

"As Americans, we're very narrow-minded and have a very limited world perspective. It's good for us to see what people across the world learn and are exposed to," she said.

Both Bernick and Arrington said the schools where they studied had very different teaching methods than their home universities. Arrington said the University of Essex required much more independent study on the part of the student and was less comprehensive than American universities. She said each course only had one class and one lecture each week and required only an extended essay on a narrow topic which was turned in at the end of the semester. While difficult, she said being able to focus in on and independently research one topic provided her a chance to become well-read and familiar with the topic.

Bernick said she found students in Spain didn't like to wake up early, so most classes were taken in the late afternoon or early evening. She said a lot of the students didn't come to class very much.

"They just care if they pass," she said.

She said the majority of her grade, like Arrington, was also made up of an extended, final essay, which was daunting because in order to do well in the class she had to do well on the essay. Both students said they learned a lot from their experiences at different universities and it gave them a greater appreciation of their universities in the United States.

Another advantage of studying abroad is the opportunity to travel to regions near the foreign university, which both Bernick and Arrington took advantage of while in Europe. They said it would have been crazy not to travel to historic sites like Paris and Rome when so close by. They said it was easy to find inexpensive travel options, either by plane or train, and that the close proximity of the European countries made travel very convenient.

Studying overseas offers great professional advantages as well because many companies have growing multinational interests. Bernick said she feels she has an edge over students who have not studied abroad because of her hands-on experience with another culture. She said in applying for international policy internships for summer 2007, her time abroad really enhances her resume and distinguishes her from other applicants.

Bernick and Arrington said they would highly recommend a semester or year abroad to every student interested. Study abroad opportunities are readily available to nearly every college student, including those at Utah State University. The Utah State University Study Abroad Office provides a number of study abroad opportunities with partner institutions from England to Japan. The International Student Exchange Program, a network of 275 colleges and universities in 39 countries, offers affordable opportunities as well.

To stay informed of Arrington's adventures abroad, take a look at her Facebook profile.

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