This week I attended the annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Los Angeles, CA. While being involved with International Admissions for almost three decades, I am always encouraging students to look beyond the U.S. boarder and seek a global education.
Having worked for Universities in London, England and Rome, Italy for over twenty years, I have seen these two cities be an extension of the classroom not only for Study Abroad/Semester programs, but also for students seeking to complete their entire degree outside of the U.S.
With the rapid globalization of society and the many educational options available to you worldwide, studying abroad should be an integral part of your college education. And this option may not be just for a semester or a year. You may end up choosing to complete your entire university degree abroad!
The reasons for studying abroad differ for everyone---the chance to travel to another country for the first time, an opportunity to return to a country you visited in high school, or to immerse yourself into a language and culture you have always wanted to experience.
Your trip abroad in high school gave you a taste of what it would be like, but to actually live and study in another culture is truly an educational opportunity that should not be missed. Attending a university overseas will allow you to develop a sense of relationship to other cultures while still embracing your own.
There are several different types of educational opportunities available to you abroad as an American college student. Most students have a more traditional view of study abroad which is synonymous with Junior Year or semester abroad. Studying abroad can also mean enrolling at a foreign, non-American institution. And for others, it is studying abroad for all four years. For some of them it is enrolling and receiving an American accredited degree at a college overseas.
Whatever the international educational experience you decide to pursue, you will be making the world a part of you. As a result of the cross-cultural/multi-cultural skills required, the linguistic ability needed, the broad knowledge base acquired, and the sense of self-reliance needed to survive internationally, you will develop an expanded world view called globalism.
You will come away with an ability to observe without judgment and communicate across differences as a result of your new global perspective. A life changing and diverse challenge awaits you in what ever international educational experience you choose. With the world becoming smaller a global educational is something that should be part of your college curriculum.
Brian E. Davis
University Advisor
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