Why to study abroad

Setting foot in a foreign country can be a scary experience for some. However, it can also be one that leaves lasting impressions on those who choose to seek out these opportunities.

Many universities across the country are trying to increase the number of students who do choose to study abroad, and IU is no exception. During the 2007-08 school year, 2,052 students from IU-Bloomington chose to study abroad, ranking the University 11th nationally for study abroad programs.

With more than 42,000 students at IU, it might seem that just more than 2,000 students studying abroad is a small percentage of the student body.

However, Associate Vice President for the Office of Overseas Study Kathleen Sideli explained that the office does not look at its success rate on a yearly basis.

Overseas Study is more concerned with the number of students from each graduating class that have studied abroad, and that number is anywhere from 6,000 to 7,000 each year, which averages to about 24 percent of the class.

The Office of Overseas Studies makes a strong effort to inform students, especially during their freshman year, about study abroad opportunities.

“We try to reach freshmen in dorms through websites, visits to classes, through electronic news letters and the advisors in their department,” Sideli said.

Although information begins being distributed to students in their freshmen year, Sideli said that students do not begin study abroad programs until their sophomore year at the earliest.

“We don’t send first-semester and second-semester freshmen because their college experience gives them a base upon which to build,” she said.

While freshmen cannot study abroad, it is never too early to begin planning. The Hutton Honors College requires an extensive application process to apply for aid for studying abroad.

Manager of Hutton International Experience Program J.R. Nolasco explained that students must submit an itemized budget for their stay as well as an essay. These components help determine how much funding each student will get from the Hutton Honors College.

IU offers several different types of study abroad programs that students can participate in, such as traditional programs where students study in a foreign country, volunteer work programs, internship programs and short-term academic programs where students can apply their classroom studies to real-life experiences.

These programs can span anywhere from a week to two semesters.

Funding a trip abroad might be a concern that discourages students from pursing the opportunity, but IU provides many different financial resources for interested students.
The Hutton Honors College scholarship program provides students with anywhere from $500 to $2,500 for their travels. The further the destination, the more money a student is likely to be rewarded, Nolasco said.

Since the scholarship program was started in 1999, it has helped send 3,533 students abroad.

Grants and scholarships are also offered through IU departments, and students also have the ability to use financial aid allotted for the school year.

Budgeting for the trip is crucial when planning a stay overseas. Things as simple as the students’ room and board can make a big difference in expenses.

Second-year graduate student Kemmie Mitzell studied abroad during her undergraduate career at IU. Mitzell said she funded her trip with the money she would have used to attend IU for the year. She stayed with a host family, which saved her money from staying in an apartment for the duration of her stay.

Choice of destination makes a difference in the affordability of an overseas trip as well.

“Going to a non-traditional destination makes money go farther,” Nolasco said. “You get more bang for your buck. I recommend going where your dollar goes farther.”

Mitzell explained that one of her friends who studied abroad at the same time as her didn’t have much money, but he learned how to live in Paris by developing a budget system and how to get more out of his money.

“Once you get to know where you are, you find places that are not necessarily expensive,” Mitzell said. “Even if things are pricey or expensive, what you take away is not something that has a price. It’s worth the money, because what you get from it is priceless.”

Sideli, Nolasco and Mitzell all said they feel that studying abroad is a life-changing experience that helps mold students for their future careers.

Sideli said she studied abroad more than 40 years ago and feels that it is important to leave the United States to understand the rest of the world. And now, she said she feels the world is even more connected than it was when she first went abroad.

“If you don’t understand why we’re culturally different, you won’t be as successful with a narrow view of the world,” Sideli said.

Sideli said she feels it is important to see how things are done in other parts of the world. Different countries approach professions different ways, she said, and to understand these differences, it is helpful to experience them firsthand.

Mitzell’s studies abroad helped her rethink her educational goals and opened her eyes to what she really wanted to do. She said she felt that her studies helped her find who she was and what she wanted, which led her to the path she is on today as a master’s student in French.

The Hutton Honors College houses 10 years’ worth of essays from students that have studied abroad.

“The general theme of the essays is that the students changed for the better and learned things about themselves they never would have learned otherwise,” Nolasco said.