The future of study abroad
Article by LAUREN MACNEILL, Podcast by DIAMOND WARD
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
What this story covers
Studying abroad is a massive undertaking for the average college student. An increasing number of students are going abroad, and more programs are allowing students to go beyond the one-semester, one-campus model.
Why it matters
With so many students studying abroad, questions about finances, requirements and accessibility abound.
On a cobblestone street, the sun shines on historic Parisian architecture. It bounces off windows that line the stone buildings, guiding attention to narrow balconies guarded with cast-iron railings. Carved wooden doors sit back under arched doorways. On the weathered walls, traditional blue, white and green street signs hang to direct those exiting the Paris Métro.
Among these gothic structures sits La Coupole, a small cafe in the heart of Paris. The building is more modern than the rest, with tall paneled windows and a neon red sign that lures passersby to its large swinging doors, inviting them inside for a quiet and intimate dining experience. Plush green chairs sit in the storefront window, waiting for someone to sink into them for hours. The smell of sweet chocolat chaud (hot chocolate for non-French speakers) lingers in the air.
During her time abroad in spring 2018, Adrianna Soucy frequented La Coupole every Sunday. The St. John Fisher College student sat in the green chairs for hours, sipping on hot chocolate with her friend, Darcy Angus.
Soucy’s Sunday routine included a crowded ride home on the Métro, where she gradually lost personal space at each stop until it felt like she was jammed in a small closet. She would ride the Métro line for seven stops until she arrived at her homestay for an authentic French dinner with her host family.
Come Monday, Soucy was back on the cramped Métro for her 30-minute commute to class at the CIEE Global Institute in Paris. Each course was two-and-a-half hours long and held twice a week.
Monday and Wednesday she went to art history. One day, her native French professor took the class on a tour of the Louvre, where he taught her to appreciate art from a Parisian’s perspective.
Tuesday and Thursday, Soucy went to her other class, beginning French 2, where she was able to build upon the small background she already had of the French language. She said living with a host family helped her French significantly and gave her more confidence to use it.
During her time abroad, Soucy went down a road uncommon for most study abroad students. Instead of staying in one location for the duration of the semester, she chose to study for six weeks each in London, Paris and Rome.
So, as quickly as she found her favorite spot in Paris, it became time for her to part with the “City of Love.”
According to the most recent data available from the Institute of International Education (IIE), 332,727 U.S. students studied abroad in 2016/17, of which 7 percent studied in multiple countries. The other 93 percent studied in one location.
Towson University study abroad peer adviser Margaret Geanacopoulos said students who study in a single location are immersed in another country and get a deep understanding of that particular culture.
She also said, however, that situations out of students’ comfort zones are where they grow the most. Getting different perspectives from different countries is beneficial for students because people’s lives across the globe are diverse.
Soucy said one of her favorite things about studying abroad in multiple countries was learning about the world from different perspectives. She plans to attend medical school after receiving her bachelor’s degree. While in London, she took a contemporary challenges in global health course.
“I’m a very opinionated person, but I have so many more opinions now from other European perspectives,” she said. “I’ve seen the way the medical system is run in the UK and analyzing it against the United States system showed me a lot of things I want to change.”
Comparative learning from study abroad can help college students get a truly global education and prepare them for an increasingly globalized workforce. But some argue that study abroad programs are not best serving students because they are insulated from their host countries and not having an authentic experience. Students often live in dorms with other English-speaking students and stay in one location for an entire semester. But some programs have strayed from that model.
Another concern is increasing accessibility to study abroad. High costs of programs create a barrier for many college students who want an international study experience. Established organizations like IIE continue to work on increasing awareness of and accessibility to study abroad.
Increasing study abroad numbers
In 1923, Raymond W. Kirkbride, an instructor in the modern languages department and a World War I veteran, established the first officially credited study abroad program at the University of Delaware.
Since then, study abroad has increased in popularity in the United States. Data from IIE shows that from 2005/06 to 2016/17, study abroad numbers have grown by 109,193 students, a 49 percent increase. However, the numbers could be higher.
In 2014, IIE launched the Generation Study Abroad initiative to “mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling and diversifying the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade.” The organization reached out to colleges and universities, organizations, companies and governments from around the world to join the agenda as generation study abroad commitment partners.
These partners commit to the goal of increasing study abroad numbers by making more funding and scholarships available, expanding student diversity, launching new programs and better integrating study abroad into the curriculum. As of 2019, more than 800 partners have signed on, 450 of which consist of K-12 teachers in the U.S. who have pledged to make their students aware of study abroad.
Before studying abroad for a year in Forcalquier, France during her junior year of high school, Shelby Serrano had no plans to become a teacher. But while abroad, she discovered her passion for the French language and currently teaches middle school and high school French for the Methacton School District in Pennsylvania. Serrano also chaperones trips for her own students and she encourages them to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the world.
Towson University is one of the Generation Study Abroad commitment partners that aims to increase study abroad participation by 40 percent by 2020. To reach its goal, Towson offers scholarships to help those who are not financially able to study abroad.
TU study abroad staff created the TU Institutional Diversity Study Abroad Scholarship to increase the amount of underrepresented students who study abroad, including people of color, men, first-generation students, students with disabilities, certain majors, athletes and LGBTQ students.
Through its efforts, Towson exceeded its goal three years early, reaching a 42 percent increase by 2016/17. The university also set a record in summer 2017 when 222 students studied abroad, representing the largest group of Towson students to study abroad in a single term.
While it is not a Generation Study Abroad partner, Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, is an institution that prioritizes international study experiences. In fall 2006, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the United States to require enrolled students to study abroad for at least three weeks and at least once before graduation. Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California, is the only other U.S. institution that requires students to study abroad.
Through both the college and study abroad organization partners, Goucher students can choose from more than 60 programs of international studies on six continents and in more than 30 countries.
Goucher College alumna and study abroad adviser Alexandra Gates said the universal study abroad policy can complicate matters for students. Even though they know that Goucher requires study abroad, not all of them are enthusiastic about it. Gates said it can be difficult to convince students that study abroad is going to work out for them.
“Sometimes I really have to convince [students] that this will be a beneficial opportunity for them that will help them grow as a person and as a student,” Gates said.
For students with disabilities, like Towson’s Tim Utzig, studying abroad can pose challenges — and clear benefits. Listen to Diamond Ward’s podcast to learn more.
Helping students afford study abroad
“I’d love to study abroad, but I just can’t afford it.” It’s a phrase that Soucy said she has heard from many of her friends.
Prices for study abroad programs can be daunting, which is why Soucy’s friends aren’t the only students with complaints about cost.
Study abroad tuition can often be higher than tuition at a student’s home institution.
College Board reported that a moderate college budget for an in-state public college for the 2017/18 academic year averaged $25,290. Whereas, research by IIE determined that the average cost for U.S. students to study abroad is roughly $36,000 per academic year.
There are other expenses for students to consider aside from tuition. International flights can cost more than $1,000 one way, and added traveling throughout the region requires more spending on transportation, housing, food and activities. High currency conversion rates can also affect increased costs.
However, resources like scholarships, grants and financial aid are available for students who may not be as financially able.
Sandy Nichols, an associate professor at Towson, has served as a member of its study abroad committee since 2008. She said her primary goal during her time on the committee was to get more money to help students with study abroad costs. Between 2014 and 2017, Towson gave out close to $96,000 in grants and $152,000 in scholarships to increase accessibility for students.
At Goucher, students pay their normal tuition for Goucher exchange programs, but other costs like room and board vary. The college also offers scholarships and helps students find third-party scholarships to help them afford the costs.
Some study abroad organizations, such as the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), also offer scholarship opportunities to help and encourage students to participate in their study abroad programs.
For those who did not study abroad in college, or for those who want to add to their international experiences after graduation, the Fulbright Scholarship Program sponsors “exchanges in all areas of endeavor, including the sciences, business, academe, public service, government, and the arts and continues to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”
Benefits of study abroad
A study conducted by IIE found that while abroad, students develop a broad range of cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. Those skills are especially important as students prepare for the transition to the workforce.
Lindsay Calvert, head of the Generation Study Abroad initiative, said study abroad participation cultivates global citizenship, introduces students to diverse cultures and perspectives and helps students develop hard and soft skills attractive to prospective employers. Hard skills refer to teachable and measurable abilities, such as writing, reading and math, whereas soft skills are personal traits such as communication, adaptability and tolerance. Research from IIE finds that employers generally value soft skills in new employees much more than they value technical skills.
Soucy believes that the soft skills she learned — specifically, cultural competency — while abroad will set her apart from other applicants when she applies to medical school.
“Studying abroad forces you to be in the shoes of people who immigrate to the states and I think there is something valuable to be learned from that,” Soucy said. “I have greater respect now for people who I see have immigrated from other countries to America.”
Nichols said she “can’t stress cultural competence enough.” She created communication and global competence, a faculty-led program in Barcelona designed to help students develop cultural competence.
Employers will recognize study abroad on a student’s resumé and they’re looking for global experiences, Nichols said. But having a study abroad experience isn’t enough. Knowing how to effectively communicate the growth and skills students gained abroad is important, said Rebecca Rankin, an admissions officer with AIFS.
It is good to have anecdotes to tell employers. Describing scenarios with a problem and a solution shows employers a moment where the student learned and grew, Geanacopoulos said.
Being abroad puts students in a position to develop important skills for the workforce, but it doesn’t automatically guarantee that these skills were developed or refined, Rankin said.
“It is possible for students to go abroad and stay in their comfort zone,” Rankin said. “They will get something very different out of the experience than someone who goes and challenges themselves.”
Rankin said students have to be intentional with their time abroad, try new things and be engaged with the learning process as much as possible.
“I think some students go and have a good time and take some photos and come back to the U.S. without reflecting much on their experiences or the impact it had on them,” Rankin said. “Which is a wasted opportunity.”
Different models for study abroad
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The program students choose is highly dependent on their needs. When it comes to deciding on what’s best for them, Rankin pointed out three main components of study abroad models students should consider: duration, location and program format.
The most common lengths of time for study abroad programs are short-term, semester-long or year-long. Throughout the history of study abroad, short-term programs, such as two to eight-week minimesters, have increased in popularity. Data from IIE shows that short-term summer programs have been the most popular among students — with an average of 37.9 percent of participants. Single semester programs trail close behind, but only in the 2008/09 academic year did single semester programs rank higher by 1.5 percent.
Geanacopoulos said short-term programs are popular because they are less costly and don’t require students to miss a full semester of school. This can be particularly enticing for students in STEM fields or other highly structured majors of study because they don’t have to disrupt the progress of their education.
Most study abroad formats are available for any length of time, and there are a few main formats of study abroad that offer a wide variety of benefits for students:
- Faculty-led: These programs can be run through universities or affiliate providers. They often focus on one course and are typically held during winter, spring break or summer minimesters. This type of program was the most popular at Towson during the 2016/17 school year, accounting for 65 percent of Towson students who studied abroad.
Gates said faculty-led programs provide support for students who are hesitant to study abroad. Faculty are present as an expert in their field and a strong resource for students to ask questions and develop a deeper understanding of the culture and subject they are studying.
University of Delaware graduate Jessica Lejserowits participated in a five-week faculty-led program in London through UD in 2012. The program was specifically offered to students studying visual communication and was led by two professors in the major. Lejserowits had guest speakers talk about real-life application of the major and visited related facilities, like ad agencies and art studios.
Lejserowits said she returned home with the courage to try new things and take risks. One design studio created wallpaper patterns, mostly geared towards children, and gave a presentation on the process of how they came up with ideas and turned illustrations into patterns. Seeing this inspired Lejserowits to try making patterns herself and she thinks back to this experience a lot when she does her own work.
- University exchange: Students who choose a university exchange program will attend a foreign university that partners with their home institution. Generally, university exchanges are unique in the fact that students pay the tuition of their home institution. This can be beneficial for students who do not have access to the required amount of funding.
Lauren Plakatoris, a 2018 Towson graduate, chose to do a TU exchange at Leeds Beckett University in England in fall 2016. Plakatoris now works on the content marketing team for T. Rowe Price, and said that her study abroad experience helps her in her current position, particularly with time management, adaptability and communication.
- Direct enroll: When students opt to do a direct enroll program, it means that they are applying through the foreign institution and will attend as a regular student. This also means that their home institution and other study abroad organizations are not involved in their education process for their duration abroad.
Gates said direct enroll programs may not be as easy for less outgoing students that have trouble socially. However, this model provides a deeper cultural immersion within the country’s education system, which contributes to a deeper understanding of that particular culture.
Choosing a multi-destination approach
Constant travel was not a foreign concept to Soucy. Growing up, her dad, originally from Denmark, was in the Air Force, which meant she and her family moved often. So much so that it resulted in her and her siblings all being born in different states.
Soucy has traveled with her family since she can remember and has visited 49 out of 50 states. As she grew older she began to crave a change in travel destinations. So, it came as no surprise to her family when she announced that she wanted to study abroad.
When Soucy was trying to decide on her study abroad program, she struggled to settle on a location, so her study abroad adviser recommended a program that would allow her to study in multiple countries. She built her own study abroad experience through the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), an independent study abroad organization unaffiliated with her college. CIEE offers a semester that allows students to choose three cities for their duration abroad. Students spend six weeks in each city.
While in London and Rome, Soucy lived in student resident buildings. In France, she opted to stay with a host family for a more cultural experience.
“When I was in London I didn’t really feel like I had as much interaction with the locals as I would have liked because I was living with another study abroad student,” Soucy said. “But living with a host family in Paris exposed me to what it’s really like to live in France.”
Soucy’s background with the French language and Roman history influenced her decision to choose Paris and Rome as two of her three cities. She decided on London as her first destination to help ease herself into the experience.
Of all study abroad locations, English-speaking countries rank the most popular. Data from IIE showed 12 percent of students who studied abroad in 2016/17 went to the United Kingdom.
Nichols said places that speak English can be easier locations for students because there is no language barrier and that it is familiar, yet unfamiliar.
“Students expect English-speaking cultures to be similar to ours,” Nichols said. “But they really are different and students will still walk away with an understanding of the differences between cultures.”
Geanacopoulos said students often tend to go to English-speaking countries because it is where they are most comfortable, but going to a country where you don’t speak the language is a humbling experience.
“Some students are excited to be in a place where they don’t speak the language and all of the information coming at them is brand new, “ Rankin said. “But I think it’s a matter of challenging by choice.”
The language barrier in Paris wasn’t substantial for Soucy because she had a background in French, but when she got to Rome she said it became much more difficult.
“I took a survival Italian class while I was in Rome,” she said. “By the end I could order pizza and gelato, ask where the bathroom is and say my name.”
Soucy said studying in multiple locations was challenging, but she loved her time abroad and said everything she experienced largely contributed to her independence, open-mindedness and ability to adapt.
A different model is the Minerva Schools, a start-up based in San Francisco that put a unique spin on the multi-destination study abroad approach. Instead of staying in one location, students who attend Minerva travel from campus to campus across countries and continents while earning a degree in the process.
In a New York Times article, former tech executive and founder of Minerva, Ben Nelson, said he believes traditional colleges were not adequately preparing students for the real world, so he developed a model where students spend the majority of their college experience outside of the United States immersing themselves in diverse cultures.
After spending their freshman year in San Francisco, Minerva students move to a new country each semester. Throughout their college career, they will have lived in Bangalore, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, London and Seoul. The program keeps cost minimal by not owning buildings. Instead, housing costs are included in tuition and classes are held in libraries, museums or parks.
“We want them to be able to adapt to jobs that don’t even exist yet, so we give them a great range of the best cognitive tools,” Stephen Kosslyn, Minerva’s founding dean, said in a New York Times article.
Rankin deals mostly with multi-destination programs, but AIFS only offers this model for short-term programs. Often around three weeks long, they focus on one course and take students to multiple cities, sometimes in multiple countries.
Rankin said she could see the country-hopping study abroad model becoming increasingly popular in the years ahead, although logistically it would require a tremendous amount of planning and support.
“I think there could be incredible value in students graduating with a comparative understanding of topics as they relate to other cultures and locations around the globe,” Rankin said.
One size does not fit all
Rankin said students learn differently, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model for international education, which is why there are many options for different study abroad programs.
“Having a breadth of choice allows people to find the program that best fits their needs,” Rankin said. “Learning and growth can happen no matter where you are. It’s more about the mindset of the participant and determining what will resonate most with them.”
If students invest themselves in their study abroad programs as active participants by showing up, being present and reflecting on the experience, they can ultimately become more prepared for the future.
“Students are capable of so much more than they thought,” Rankin said. “Study abroad helps ready them for their career and for navigating unfamiliar circumstances.”