Everything familiar — food, language, scenery, transportation, culture — is being left behind. Many college students have decided to escape all things familiar and live out of their comfort zone by studying abroad, despite the bad economy.
According to VistaWide.com, a website known for study-abroad statistics, studying abroad has increased nearly 130 percent in the last decade. In 2007-08, about 262,000 American students studied abroad in foreign countries.
There is no question that unemployment has soared. Not only America, but also Canada, most of Europe and Asia have been hit by the recession. “I think studying abroad is an awesome opportunity regardless of the condition of the economy, assuming there are no money issues with the person doing it. The experience alone is worth it,” said Alexander Ucci, of Ocean County.
Amid the economic squeeze, how can studying abroad even be an option for college students?
Millions of dollars are donated in scholarships to help students study abroad. These scholarships are accessible to all college students, no matter the institution.
Public, private, community, four-year, and even graduate schools participate in study-abroad programs and encourage students to apply for scholarships.
“Students were never rich to begin with,” said Marisa Magrino, of Ocean County. “Does the economy really affect them? There are always loans, which they were probably going to take out to pay for school anyway. Also, if the economy is bad, and study abroad is about the same price or just a little bit more than a normal semester, then it’s really like a bargain vacation.” According to transitionsabroad.com, a site about studying abroad, The Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) surveyed alumni from all IES study-abroad programs from 1950 to 1999.
Regardless of where students studied and for how long, the data from more than 3,400 respondents show that studying abroad is usually a defining moment in a young person’s life and continues to impact the participant’s life for years after the experience. “It’s an opportunity to see the world. When you get a job, you won’t have the time to travel or have the opportunities presented to you by universities. If you can get out of the U.S. and get credits at the same time, you’re golden. Sometimes that experience is worth the money you have to spend to do it,” said Frank Santoriello, a student from Monmouth County who attends Penn State.
Though students are abroad to learn, over 90 percent surveyed said the experience increased their self-confidence, and said the experience served as a catalyst for increased maturity and had a lasting impact on their worldview.
It also helped them better understand their own cultural values and biases.
“The experience is priceless … not to sound corny,” said Monmouth County resident Sheldon Nguyen, a sophomore at Rutgers University. “Traveling and seeing new things and meeting new people and learning is not something you get to do every day, so people take advantage of it.”