Studying Abroad

Study abroad programs have been popular for decades for hundreds of thousands of Americans. The short amount of time spent fully immersed in a different language and culture can prove far more helpful than years in a classroom for an hour a day. But the benefits go beyond language learning. Students who are part of a study abroad program have been proven to have increased skills in independence, communications, are more tolerant, and have better critical thinking skills (Gasta). Along with the linguistic and critical skills that can be taken away from a study abroad program, many students get a leg up in job interviews when their interviewer is aware of their experiences (Gasta).

The pandemic's effect on study abroad programs was tragic to thousands of students around the world. Lengthy applications, phone calls, plans for moving, and the excitement of moving to a new country were all brought to a roaring halt as soon as the news of the first couple of COVID cases were released. Questions were also raised about what this meant for prospective study abroad students within the next few years. With study abroad’s roots in appreciating and learning about a new culture, clashing with the discourse of pandemic relief across countries, representation was vital. But, there was nothing students could do. 

Luckily, many programs were able to somewhat resume applications and organization when more research on COVID was released. For most people around the country and world, everything is not back to normal. A report done by Ciaflo collected data presenting 76% of interviewed future study abroad students were concerned that they would not be able to enjoy their experience like they were hoping (Gilchrist).

With that short synopsis of study abroad within the last few years, it is important to remember that borders on campus worked immensely hard to be present in person and many had to spend an entire year online from another country in a completely different time zone. In short: we love our study abroad students. 

Works Cited

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/27/cialfo-students-still-plan-to-study-abroad-despite-the-pandemic.html

https://theconversation.com/more-american-students-are-studying-abroad-new-data-show-106678