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Studying Abroad: Do It If You Can

October 27th, 2009 by Jim Hart

Traveling far and wide in order to study in the midst of a different culture dates back to the beginning of craftsmen. Over time, students have crossed oceans to learn about art, science, math and medicine in other parts of the globe. The benefits of such travel are vast:

1. Personal growth. In addition to developing friendships that tend to last a lifetime, other effects of international study are measurable. Learning in the midst of a different culture, often even a different language, can lead to an increase in the ability to comprehend. What's more, college students' overall view of the world evolves to include compassion in areas that didn't impact them on their home soil. Things like self reliance and independence levels are raised in the process.

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.

Why not go to your advisor and start asking some questions? Some programs allow you to apply your financial aid to various colleges throughout the world. In many cases, credits transfer and it's a simple matter of an application to fill out. You have the rest of your life to be an adult, why not let some international travel help to mold the kind of adult you will be?

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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