Studying abroad can be a great experience. Thousands of American students travel abroad each year to gain educational and cultural experiences. In a world that is growing increasingly closer through technology, the face to face human experience is still the best way to learn about individuals and countries diverse from one’s own. Travelling abroad during one’s school & college years might be one of the best ways. When one is young, one is more open to learning new cultures and languages.
Traveling abroad, of course, has its challenges. One needs to be first and foremost SAFE. One needs to take all required immunizations, thoroughly learn about the country one is travelling to, and make sure travel and research/study documents are in order. Also, make sure that copies of all necessary documents, as well as, the local contacts and addresses in the country of travel are left behind with loved ones in case of an emergency.
Below, we offer some information and links to a number of useful sites that might assist American students in the process of applying to study abroad. Please note that all suggestions and information are purely directional and not the final word on study abroad for American students. We also offer below websites that discuss the challenges in travelling abroad and how to travel safely.
Diversitydiscover.com is not responsible for the content of any of the websites recommended.
Please click on the links below or scroll down the page for the required item:
Studying abroad is the act of a student pursuing educational opportunities in a country other than one's own. This can include primary, secondary and post-secondary students. In the United States, 260,327 students studied abroad for academic credit in 2008-2009, which represented a modest decline of 0.8% from the previous year's record high of 262,214, according to the most recent "Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange" Read about the report here. The number of students studying abroad still represents only about 1% of all students enrolled at institutions of higher education in the United States.
While the majority of foreign students who study in the United States are pursuing a full degree, most outgoing U.S. students study abroad for one or two academic terms. The majority of US students now choose short-term study abroad programs according to the most recent Institute of International Education Open Doors Report. In the 2008-09 academic year, the five countries US students chose to study abroad in most were the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, and China. The total number of US students studying abroad during 2008-09 was 260,327, compared to 262,416 the previous year, a modest decline of 0.8%. The Open Doors report is published annually by the Institute of International Education with funding from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. However, the report found that there were notable increases in the number of U.S. students going to study in less traditional destinations. Fifteen of the top 25 destinations were outside of Western Europe and nineteen were countries where English is not a primary language.
History
The University of Delaware is typically credited with creating the first study abroad program designed for U.S. undergraduate students in the 1920s. Professor Raymond W. Kirkbride, a French professor and World War I veteran, won support from university president Walter S. Hullihen to send students to France to study during their junior year. UD initially refused to fund Kirkbride's travels, and he and Hullihen appealed to prominent public and private figures for support including then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover and businessman Pierre S. du Pont. Kirkbride set sail for on July 7, 1923 with eight students for six weeks of intensive language courses in Nancy, France before moving on to Paris to study at The Sorbonne. The Delaware Foreign Study Plan, which came to be known as the Junior Year Abroad (JYA), was considered a success and was replicated by other U.S. institutions, such as Smith College. In 1948, the Delaware Foreign Study Plan was discontinued due to post-war conditions in Europe and shifting priorities under a new university president. It has since been re-instated in the form of their current study abroad program.
Trends
Despite flat overall study abroad numbers, there were notable increases in the numbers of U.S. students going to some of the less traditional destinations for study abroad in 2008/09. Double digit increases to host countries among the top 25 destinations include Argentina, Chile, Denmark, the Netherlands, Peru, South Africa and South Korea. Double-digit decreases among the top 25 host countries include Mexico (which experienced H1N1 virus outbreak that year), Austria and India.
The following table represents the top 25 study abroad destinations for U.S. students seeking academic credit in 2007/08 and 2008/09, according to the Institute of International Education
Rank
Destination
2007/08
2008/09
2008/09 % of Total
% Change
World Total
262,416
260,327
100.0
-0.8
1
United Kingdom
33,333
31,342
12.0
-6.0
2
Italy
30,670
27,362
10.5
-10.8
3
Spain
25,212
24,169
9.3
-4.1
4
France
17,336
16,910
6.5
-2.5
5
China
13,165
13,674
5.3
3.9
6
Australia
11,042
11,140
4.3
0.9
7
Germany
8,253
8,330
3.2
0.9
8
Mexico
9,928
7,320
2.8
-26.3
9
Ireland
6,881
6,858
2.6
-0.3
10
Costa Rica
6,096
6,363
2.4
4.4
11
Japan
5,710
5,784
2.2
1.3
12
Argentina
4,109
4,705
1.8
14.5
13
South Africa
3,700
4,160
1.6
12.4
14
Czech Republic
3,417
3,664
1.4
7.2
15
Greece
3,847
3,616
1.4
-6.0
16
Chile
2,739
3,503
1.3
27.9
17
Ecuador
2,814
2,859
1.1
1.6
18
Austria
3,356
2,836
1.1
-15.5
19
Brazil
2,723
2,777
1.1
2.0
20
New Zealand
2,629
2,769
1.1
5.3
21
India
3,146
2,690
1.0
-14.5
22
Netherlands
2,038
2,318
0.9
13.7
23
Denmark
1,855
2,244
0.9
21.0
24
Peru
1,638
2,163
0.8
32.1
25
South Korea
1,597
2,062
0.8
29.1
Types of programs
Despite the slight decline in U.S. students studying abroad for credit in 2008-2009, study abroad is likely to continue to grow. The number of outgoing U.S. students pursuing overseas study has increased over fivefold since the late 1980s, from less than 50,000 students to more than 260,000 in 2008-09. Behind the numbers, though, has been the proliferation in the type study abroad programs. According to Lilli Engel of the American University Center of Provence, there are fundamental differences in the academic and cultural experience offered by study abroad programs today that suggest the need to create a level-based classification system for program types. In an influential Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad article, she compares "a one-month summer term, requiring little or no host language proficiency, with subject-matter classes in English, collective housing and American roommates" with "a full-year program for students of advanced linguistic proficiency housed individually in a host family and directly enrolled in local university courses or engaged in a professional internship or service-learning project."
Yet, within international education a universally-accepted method of classifying study abroad programs has proven elusive. U.S. students can choose from a wide range of study abroad opportunities differentiated by program sponsor, curriculum, cost, program model, language and degree of integration, to name a few. While study abroad in the U.S. is by no means uniform, study abroad programs can reasonably be grouped according to (a) duration, (b) program model (c) program sponsor
Duration
Study abroad programs are available to students throughout the year. However, the majority enroll in Semester or Summer programs (37.3% and 35.8%). Even though the total number of outbound U.S. students grew by over 100,000 from 2000/01 to 2008/09, the percentages of students studying abroad during a given term remained largely stable. However, the long-term trends of steadily relatively fewer students signing up for Academic Year programs in favor of growing enrollments in programs less than 8 weeks during the Academic Year. Duration of U.S. Study Abroad (% of Total), 1999/00 - 2008/09
Term Abroad
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Summer Term
33.7
34.4
32.7
37.0
37.2
37.2
38.7
38.1
35.8
One Semester
38.5
39.0
40.3
38.1
37.5
36.9
36.3
35.5
37.3
8 Weeks or Less During Academic year
7.4
7.3
9.4
8.9
8.0
9.5
9.8
11.0
11.7
January Term
7.0
6.0
5.6
5.7
6.0
5.4
6.8
7.2
7.0
Academic Year
7.3
7.8
6.7
6.0
6.0
5.3
4.3
4.1
4.1
One Quarter
4.1
3.9
3.8
3.3
3.3
3.3
3.4
3.4
3.3
Two Quarters
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.5
1.3
0.9
0.5
0.6
0.5
Total
154,168
160,920
174,629
191,321
205,983
223,534
241,791
262,416
260,327
Four basic program models
Four basic models have been identified to refer to a study abroad program's structure. They consist of (a) Island, (b) Integrated, (c) Hybrid, and (d) Field-study programs.
Island - Students participating in island programs study alongside other American students in a study center. Island programs are typically sponsored U.S. universities and/or third-party providers, who develop a curriculum specifically with American students in mind.
Integrated Students who participate in an integrated program enroll directly in courses alongside local students at a host university. Program sponsors may provide additional services such as assistance with course registration and language tutoring.
Hybrid - Hybrid programs include elements of both island and integrated program. Typically students take a selection of their coursework at a host university and the remainder at a study center. Hybrid programs are common in countries where the primary language of instruction is not English, such as China and Morocco.
Field-based - Field-based study abroad programs for academic credit are structured much more liberally than traditional island, integrated or hybrid programs. Generally these programs involve a thematic focus, field study training and finally an independent study project. SIT Study Abroad programs are for the most part field-based.
In recognition of the long-term national benefits of sending American students abroad, the U.S. Senate issued a resolution designating 2006 as the Year of Study Abroad to raise awareness and to help increase the number of U.S. students studying abroad.
The resolution itself lists the 13 reasons why broad-based support of study abroad programs is important and necessary on a national level:
Ensuring that the citizens of the United States are globally literate is the responsibility of the educational system of the United States.
Educating students internationally is an important way to share the values of the United States, to create goodwill for the United States around the world, to work toward a peaceful global society, and to increase international trade.
79% of people in the United States agree that students should have a study abroad experience sometime during college, but only 1% of students from the United States currently study abroad each year.
Study abroad programs help people from the United States to be more informed about the world and to develop the cultural awareness necessary to avoid offending individuals from other countries.
87% of students in the United States between the ages of 18 and 24 cannot locate Iraq on a world map, 83% cannot find Afghanistan, 58% cannot find Japan, and 11% cannot even find the United States.
Studying abroad exposes students from the United States to valuable global knowledge and cultural understanding and forms an integral part of their education.
The security, stability, and economic vitality of the United States in an increasingly complex global age depend largely upon having a globally competent citizenry and the availability of experts specializing in world regions, foreign languages, and international affairs.
Federal agencies, educational institutions, and corporations in the United States are suffering from a shortage of professionals with international knowledge and foreign language skills;
Institutions of higher education in the United States are struggling to graduate enough students with the language skills and cultural competence necessary to meet the current demands of business, government, and educational institutions.
Studying abroad influences subsequent educational experiences, decisions to expand or change academic majors, and decisions to attend graduate school.
Some of the core values and skills of higher education are enhanced by participation in study abroad programs.
Study abroad programs not only open doors to foreign language learning, but also empower students to better understand themselves and others through a comparison of cultural values and ways of life.
Study abroad programs for students from the United States can provide specialized training and practical experiences not available at institutions in the United States.
Officials in the federal government are becoming increasingly cognizant of the dire need for citizens who possess the skills to communicate, negotiate, and do business in diverse regions of the world. This Senate Resolution is one in an increasing number of initiatives to train Americans to cope successfully with the globalization, migration, increasing economic interdependence, communication, and travel that are increasingly bringing cultures into ever closer contact with one another.
STUDY ABROAD FELLOWSHIPS/SCHOLARSHIPS/INTERNSHIPS:
There are a number of international fellowships/scholarships or internships that U.S. students can apply for studying abroad. These include among others: the Fulbright, the Marshall, Rhodes,Luard, Boren, Gilman, Rotary etc. Read about these and others at the below websites (please click on the various logos or links).
Zumba is a combination of diverse music and dance numbers choreographed into exercise routines. Music can be, but is not limited to, Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Reggaeton, Hip Hop, African, North Indian, etc. In a one-hour class the instructor plays about ten to fifteen songs (depending upon the length of the songs) and students dance to the songs based upon the choreography of the instructor. Many of the songs are popular ones that play on the radio. From Beyonce to Black Eyed Peas, Jay Z, Usher, Shakira, Michael Jackson to Punjabi MC, and so forth, the room is filled with great diverse dance numbers bellowing from speakers around the room. It is just impossible not to dance and enjoy, but in reality one is exercising! The abs, the muscles of the arms, legs, thighs, neck, and tummy are all receiving the benefit!
Dancing is a great form of exercise…great cardiovascular exercise, immense mind concentration exercise; loads of fun … makes one smile and laugh and makes the whole body just feel afresh! Dancing is recommended as a wonderful exercise for all ages. Dancing increases muscle tone, rhythm and endurance. Frankie Manning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Manning), a well-known dance instructor, danced right until his death at the ripe age of 94.
“Dancing is not only fun and a great way to socialize, mix, and mingle, but it's also a good way to stay physically fit. Exercise doesn't have to be utter drudgery, especially when you can dance your way to health” (http://houston-dance-lessons.com/studio/site_page.cfm?pageid=63). Ballet, Ballroom, Hip Hop, Salsa, Belly Dancing, North Indian Punjabi Bhangra…there are so many dance forms to keep one fit.
Aside from the music and dance, the diversity of instructors and participants in the Zumba class is amazing. Zumba was created by Columbian dancer and choreographer, Alberto "Beto" Perez, during the 1990s. But the instructors are very diverse, from Latin American, European, African American to Caucasian and Asian! And the participants are even more diverse! There are women (yes, mostly women -- just a handful of men dare to participate in this class!) from the US, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and other regions of the world. Some of the countries represented include, but are not limited to Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, US, Canada, Russia, Yugoslavia, Japan, India, Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, etc. It is amazing how women who speak different languages and have different cultural backgrounds can come together for one hour, three to four times a week, and dance to music whose language they may or may not understand. For example, songs in Spanish or Punjabi may or may not be understood by many of the dancers. But the music, the beat, the rhythm and the energetic Zumba instructors make dancing a universal language. Furthermore, the women get to know others who come from cultural and ethnic groups different from their own. For a short while, the women smile, laugh and comment on the different songs and dance together even though they do not know each other’s names! And sometimes the women become friends and the friendships become long lasting. The goal is common --to exercise and to be healthy, and in the process to get to know and appreciate diverse music and dance forms and diverse individuals of different races, religions, countries, languages, and cultures.
Zumba classes serve a dual purpose: to provide diversity in music and dance forms through exercise, which in turn brings diverse individuals together in a universal art form.
Moving Diversity: Different Perspectives In Different Homes Nurturing My Soul
By
Anita Nahal
The diversity of my living spaces
spread across years, continents, countries, cities and people
brought smiles, and at times, tears… A friend reminded, “there is no gain without pain.”
Let me tiptoe from the spaces of diverse experiences
to diverse spaces and places
just savoring the diversity of movement,
and the movement of diverse experiences.
Spaces don’t move, people do
and people can make the same space diverse or make a new place the same…
The experience of moving is diverse,
the diversity of the new space is an experience…
Spaces can nurture a soul
Or souls can nurture any place.
----Anita Nahal
I recently moved to another home…it was a very moving diversity experience! Without going too deeply or profoundly into the whole topic of perspectives, I think we can say that we understand that life offers us various perspectives. And our perspectives in response are reflective of the places, spaces and people in them. But little did I know that moving to an apartment almost entirely different from the one I had lived in for eight years would give me a whole different perspective on many things…simple things, complicated things and those in between. The new home nurtures my soul in ways diverse from the previous home.
First of all, when I started packing to leave my previous apartment, the realization that I had collected so much of what could be labeled as “junk” was shocking. Whether clothes, furniture, books, magazines, knick knacks, curios and so forth, I have never hankered after material possessions and am pretty organized and try to be clutter free, but what I had amassed, as junk, left me dismayed, tired and restless. I decided to get rid of almost everything in order to feel light, free and renewed. So I donated almost all of my furniture and many clothes and curios, and threw away the rest that I could not give away. While in the moving transition, I began to think, even more than ever, in minimalist ways…of trying to de-clutter my life and surroundings. The new apartment is simple… hardly any furniture…just open spaces with a couple of pieces, here and there, defining the openness. Even the few pictures I possess are leaning against the walls… not nailed in…did not want to encumber the silent walls. All this gives the impression of being in a very “cool” art studio. The ease and unfussiness of the new apartment is so nurturing to my soul. So this is the first new diverse experience…that the less you have, the more it relishes the soul.
Second, the apartment is quite a few stories up. Normally, I prefer to live from the fifth floor down. However, this new apartment is on the 14th floor! I can see the National Cathedral, the Washington Monument and the Capitol…. and all the trees -- the greenery of DC…. from my balcony. Makes me feel that I am in a low flying airplane…I get the view that one would get when an airplane comes to land…lights shimmering, lazy, hazy skies and the monuments trying to peep shyly but proudly above the clouds or just vying for your attention. Also, it reminds me of the scene from Jurassic Park …when the kids awake in a tree after their car tumbles downward --they look out at an expanse of trees and the tall dinosaurs peeping above the murmuring, lush, early morning dew and mist filled tree tops. ..so regal, yet a bit scary…unknown, unfamiliar, yet calm.
In the early morning light, I take my cup of tea with cookies-- like a true Indian, though in India the word “biscuits” is preferred--- and I sit on a cedar wood bench (one of my few furniture pieces) near the impressive window and savor the scene that so nurtures my soul. So the second new diverse perspective is…that the unfamiliar or not previously preferred… can also be calming and nurturing.
Third, when I enter the door of the apartment, I see this long corridor that gently walks alongside closets, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room and straight out to the balcony. I get the feeling of expansiveness …a long stretch of space…seems like I am floating. I have decorated the edges of the door that leads to the balcony, from the floor to the top and around back to the floor…with tiny, glistening Christmas lights. When lit they look ethereal and happy. The moment I enter the door, I put on these lights and bask in their glory. When my son first entered the apartment and saw the lights, he remarked, “looks like a temple!” The expanse of the corridor and the room, ending in the twinkling lights—my own little star filled sky--- gives the impression of never ending festivities. I sigh contentedly at how these also nurture my soul.
So, the third new diverse experience is…that expansive spaces can appear festive and warm, and not cold, if you add a little of your own spice…in my case—the Christmas lights---they can be soothing and nurturing too.
I loved my old apartment…it nurtured my son and I, and I have some beautiful
memories that are tucked away in my heart, and that I have taken to the new apartment. But the new apartment is a very diversely different space such that I think I am going to enjoy in a completely different way from the old.
Moving from one apartment to the other at a time when I was not ready to move was
a very moving experience in diversity of living spaces and a very diverse experience in moving places.
The diversity of my living spaces
spread across years, continents, countries, cities and people
brought smiles, and at times, tears… A friend reminded, “there is no gain without pain.”
Let me tiptoe from the spaces of diverse experiences
to diverse spaces and places
just savoring the diversity of movement,
and the movement of diverse experiences.
Spaces don’t move, people do
and people can make the same space diverse or make a new place the same…
The experience of moving is diverse,
the diversity of the new space is an experience…
Spaces can nurture a soul
Or souls can nurture any place.
