This has definitely given me a lot of food for thought. I’m going to talk to him more about this and he needs to find out this type of information if he’s really that interested.
My niece who studied engineering did a CIEE engineering program in Dublin. Colleges that offer their own study abroad programs may be stickier about what they grant credit for. Annoyingly while Tufts granted a year’s credit for Arabic, the IR department didn’t credit anything - he did get gen ed credits. It meant he ended up studying more IR type courses than he needed to because the department is so unreasonable. He had no problem graduating in time and it would have been less of a problem if he’d only done a semester instead of a whole year. He loved his time in Jordan.
My D did a CIEE in Amsterdam and London. When she picked her college she took the less expensive option for us as a family and that was part of the bargain that we would pay for a semester abroad.
Although the academics were not strenuous she learned a lot about her field of study. She gained lots of confidence about travel and did many weekend trips. She had a few issues -especially on the Amsterdam part -there were kids that specifically picked Amsterdam for its liberal recreational drug policies.
She got elective credits I think. She did the summer -because during the school year she didn’t want to miss out on football games etc…
At her college you can’t do study abroad when you are approaching graduation. So she did the summer after her sophomore year.
I am glad she got to travel before she is tied down to a full time job and a mortgage!
None of my kids did “official” study abroad trips. I know logistics at thei regular college can be challenging as you plan. For example, if you live in an apt with others, what happens while you’re gone/where do you live when you come back? If you can afford it, and they will have money for touring too, it seems like a great experience to me. One of mine said he was going to do it, but never followed through (he did visit friends over the summer), the other never had any interest.
Let us know what he/you decide.
We are sort of a poster family for study abroad. S did two semesters, one in Europe, one in S America. Each D did a semester abroad. One D spent two years as a Rotary youth exchange student in and after HS. All of mine have worked or volunteered in other countries for over a year. Getting out of the US for an extended time as a young person is a life changing experience for us rather globally isolated north Americans.
Some of the companies do a very good job in setting up these programs, IES, Experiment in International Living, CIEE are a few that come to mind. Certain colleges and universities have their own programs, though mine have benefited from programs where they meet students from other schools. I have been most impressed with programs that are home stay based, as so much language acquisition as well as cultural knowledge comes from interacting informally in a family situation. Get out of the largest cities if possible. Less English is spoken, and the experience is more unique. Yes, Paris is great, but Nantes or Dijon gives better exposure to typical French life and is cheaper day to day besides.
Think beyond Europe. S liked his semester in Barcelona, but his Spanish took off in Ecuador, and his volunteer work there was life changing.
For the shy, a more structured program has advantages. One D wanted and found a unique opportunity for study abroad, but she ended up overly isolated in a dorm in the Caribbean, with no way to easily meet other students.
Often one’s college has specific study abroad programs set up so full credit is granted, including major requirements being fulfilled. So, if the concern is that it may delay graduation, this can be an ideal option. Also, D2 is an engineer and she spent a semester at the U of Cape Town, taking classes in their engineering school. She took 4 classes and got credit for 4 classes. D2’s small college didn’t offer much in the way of study abroad so she went through a 3rd party (might have been IES) but made sure everything was approved by her college before leaving.
Assuming it’s affordable and doesn’t delay graduation, I think it can be a transformative experience and don’t really see a down side. D3 leaves for the Netherlands in a couple of weeks.
My D did a semester abroad in her college’s program. She was a relatively experienced traveler, but it sparked a true love of travel and an appreciation of different cultures that she’d never had before. Just a couple of years later her post-graduation job sent her overseas for about a year. Her college experience prepared her to not just cope, but thrive in a VERY different culture. For her, it was really life changing.
My semester in the USSR (through CIEE, of course) was the best part of my education. The courses were beside the point in that particular program, but we had an incredible chance to immerse ourselves in the culture. And yes, there were some very tough moments, but I would not have traded the experience for anything. I think it’s possible to waste a semester abroad by clinging to an American social group and not trying to learn about the host country, but in general study abroad is a great way to learn to think critically and understand differing perspectives. Not practical for everyone, but an incredible opportunity for those who can swing it.
Here are just the benefits to my son that I am aware of:
-He had to maintain at least a 3.0 in EVERY semester for two years.
-He skipped our dreadful winter and went from fall directly to summer.
-Met a few terrific young woman if you know what I mean.
-Learned how to cook, buy groceries, and live on a tight budget.
-Went from being an indoor person into a hiking expert.
-Got to learn his college sport from the best in the world.
-Took a course that has helped him in his career.
-Came home with a different attitude and without major bills from the trip.
LOL, my son met a young woman from Hong Kong who attended Wellesley (nicely convenient to Tufts) while he was in Jordan. They’ve now been together for three years.
summer abroad is much better (IMO) to me missing a semester of the your college experience to “study” abroad is crazy! you can get the same out of a summer as a semester. I know in certain circles it is trendy (for decades so more than a trend I guess). but, to me a summer studying Italian art history or the history of viking culture and health care in norway can be accomplished in a summer. you can do all the things like find that cool local beer your friends back in college have never heard of because they are not as worldly as you and start rooting for an obscure soccer team in ireland you discovered and started going to there games…in a summer…it does not take a semester. B-)
The summer experience can be different. I’m not against it, but it can be filling open campus space, hanging more with your program group, as opposed to integrating with the degree bound students at the host U.
And colleges that endorse a semesters or a year abroad know how to vet for the academic impact at home.
There’s a difference between what your college offers or what programs are on their approved list, versus some other (which may transfer credits or not.)
D1 did a mini term working at a foreign historical site, then a semester in France. Enriching. Both programs from her college, all classes received credit. No major excess costs for either.
college is four years long (it is a unique and special experience…for those not working/commuting) to just disappear for a semester or a year and than show back up …you have missed out. I do admit i am not a big fan of travel. I do love history, politics, culture etc… but I personally do not support the study abroad junior year. (I do not think it should be banned or something silly like that) but I do not support the concept. (which I know is not a popular position for many)
@zobroward Funny, most colleges disagree with you as they recommend the experience.
Summers abroad are a little elitist. For many college kids, summers are for 1) making money for the rest of the year and/or 2) gaining work experience for the resume to help nab that job post-graduation.
But Zobroward, study abroad has been done for decades, well back before we all were college kids. It’s not some nutty new idea.
It used to be a whole year, kids still graduated on time. They came back to the same friends. Now, a semester is just a few months. You can do an internship or something equally valid in summer.
You weigh the opportunity. For many kids, it’s an open mind experience, a valid part of their whole education.
I did do a summer abroad and enjoyed the classes and the people I met but at the same time I was glad I did not do an entire semester. the students who I attended class with heavily represented one particular ivy and they were super cut throat and intense in getting A’s. I went to absorb knowledge and learn. anyway, as I mentioned before I know study abroad has been around since before I was born, but I think for the majority of people if you choose to study abroad a summer is sufficient…just my opinion. I have a brother who if he could would travel around the world non stop …my other brother is happy to go on an international trip every 4 or 5 years. we are all different. my parents are currently out of the country but my dad would be just as happy flying to north carolina and staying in a bed and breakfast in the mountains.
I’d support the idea if my sophomore D wanted to study abroad. But she loves her classes and professors and is trying to cram as much into her LAC campus experience as possible. Every semester she takes 5 classes plus a Spanish conversation class and usually a PE class, works at the library, is doing research this semester for a professor, wants to do an Economic/Politics double major with a math minor and also trying to take a bunch of CS classes. She’s actually more interested in a domestic exchange program her LAC has with Swarthmore to do a semester there.
corithian actually a good point about and LAC vs say attending UCLA. at an LAC you are part of a “family” it is a once in a lifetime experience that you can never do again (the good, the bad and the ugly) .
again my opinion is just that but it is how I feel. (and I do realize that 99.999999999% of students at a LAC like Kalamazoo in MI do study abroad, but those type of people are drawn to Kalamazoo because of that)
p.s. the 99.99999999% number was sarcasm I believe it is 80%+ however.
As a biology major, D did not see any advantage in a semester abroad and plenty of disadvantages. She would have lost the continuity of her three year research work in the lab, and her volunteer post at the local hospital. Those were important to her and to her eventual admittance to medical school. I hope someday she can travel abroad, but it just didn’t make sense during college for her goals.
For someone attending top schools, spending semester abroad might mean decrease in quality of education. No doubt it will widen student’s horizons, but so will vacations. For students attending schools on full scholarships this doesn’t apply, but those who pay want to get the best education possible for their money. Many schools have summer semester programs abroad. For example the school my DD attends has a summer program where students travel to different countries and teach math or science at local schools. Or another program where they just travel to study language and immerse in a culture. Or another one where they apply for summer internships abroad.