Windsor
They say you never really know someone until you travel with them.
With this in mind, I decided to embark upon a year of international travel with someone I wanted to get to know a little better: me. Like many graduates, I had spent my senior year of high school oscillating between excitement and frustration; how could I be expected to chart the course of my entire life at the age of 18? I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do (I’m now convinced that most adults aren’t, either) but I knew one thing: I wanted to study abroad.
I chose London because I was fascinated by both its place in history and the myriad cultural opportunities offered by one of the world’s most international cities. Academic interest aside, I was also convinced that living alone in a European city would somehow help me solve my internal dilemma. And let me tell you, there’s ample time for self-reflection when you’re the only person dining alone in a Greek restaurant overflowing with Italian tourists – even when they invite you to their table and attempt to drown you in ouzo. (Incidentally, for an exercise in frustration, try explaining to a rambunctious Italian wedding party that you don’t drink).
I won’t bore you with an account of my path to self-discovery, but I will say this: The year I spent in London was the best of my life, and studying abroad is certainly an experience I intend to repeat.
Curious to see just how many American students had made the same decision, and how this number had changed since Sept. 11, I did a bit of research. The result was pleasantly surprising; according to the Institute of International Education, the first full academic year following Sept. 11 saw a sharp increase in the number of students participating in study abroad programs.
This left me wondering: Did this increase occur in spite of Sept. 11, or in response to it? In light of the fact that the 8.5 percent increase represented a significantly larger leap than that seen in previous years, my money’s on the latter. It seems that America’s youth is already well on its way to recognizing the value of study abroad opportunities in today’s world. It’s often the parents that need convincing. I know mine did.
Cost is one of the primary issues; it is a common misconception that an international study program is unaffordable. While it is true that scholarship money for study abroad students was limited in the past, changes are being made for the better. Websites like www.studyabroad.com list scholarships offered by various organizations. Rest assured, there are quite a few – and the number is rising. Even students who rely heavily upon financial aid to attend college are finding that study abroad has become extremely affordable.
At many universities, the cost of tuition remains the same for students who choose to study abroad, so that only living expenses vary. A friend found that it was actually less expensive to study in Hong Kong for an academic year than it would have been to study at her home university in Pennsylvania.
In our age of globalization, the question should not be whether we can afford to venture abroad, but whether we can afford not to. Be it for diplomacy, business, or simply a family vacation, international travel is an increasingly important method of education. And despite the rising numbers, the overall percentage of college students who study abroad remains fairly low.
Organizations like the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program are working to change all that. Their goal is lofty: send 1 million Americans to study abroad annually in a decade. Fortunately, with ever-increasing international awareness (not to mention financial aid opportunities), such a goal is within reach. Some universities, of which Harvard is a notable example, are even taking steps toward making study abroad a degree requirement.
The takeaway message is this: A good study abroad program isn’t hard to find, and the benefits are innumerable. The mission statement of the Lincoln Commission sums it up: “What nations don’t know can hurt them. The stakes involved in study abroad are that simple, that straightforward, and that important.” With the help of these and other programs aimed at making it easier for students to study abroad, perhaps an international education will soon become the rule rather than the exception.
Sarah Kuiken (skuiken@gmail.com) is a student and music enthusiast who has recently returned to Colorado after completing her freshman year of college in London.
