Best Colleges For Study Abroad?

[warblersrule]

<p>

@katliamom

BTW, a few years ago, DH was a finalist for a higher-level administrative position in a study abroad office at one of the Ivies. The previous director told him “don’t expect crowds. This school makes it clear to its students that no other university in the world is up to its own exalted standards.” This is a real quote from a real Ivy administrator. And it was made only partly in jest.

There is that argument to be made, yes, but I fear it misses the forest for the trees. Done properly, study abroad enriches and broadens a student in a way that even the most talented professor in the best classroom cannot hope to match. </p>

<p>Sitting in a classroom at Yale listening to a lecture on Egyptian archaeology is one thing; taking the same class in Cairo and visiting the relevant monuments is something different altogether. Sitting in an ecology class at Princeton is different from doing fieldwork in Kenya; Princeton recognizes this and has field schools in places like Panama and Bermuda. Medieval studies in the UK, marine biology in Australia, geology in Iceland, international relations in Geneva, art history in Italy, economics in Tokyo…there are many places that provide wonderful experiences for students. </p>

<p>Summer programs are good, yes, but they are often short and provide only a whirlwind glimpse of things.</p>