For many African-American college students, going to a foreign country is a far-away dream instead of a priority, making students who do study overseas a minority within a minority.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, African-Americans are more than 12 percent of U.S. higher education enrollment. These figures go against the rapid growth in study abroad participation overall. Students going abroad have more than doubled since the mid-1990s. Less than 90,000 students took part during the 1995-1996 school year. By 2005-2006, more than 220,000 students were getting their passports stamped.
“One of our challenges is that because statistically students of color are from lower economic backgrounds, we have trouble with the study abroad hump. Study abroad is always perceived as an add-on to education, which, in this globalizing world, I think we do our students a disservice by not building it more thoroughly into our curriculum.” said Joseph Kinsella, associate vice president of international programs at DePaul University on Chicago's North Side.
Similar efforts are in place at UIC(another university in Chicago), where low numbers for African-Americans enrolled in study abroad contrast with a higher than average enrollment of total minorities.
Kinsella said what students fail to realize is “As students return from abroad they tend to be the best sources of information for their peers,” Kinsella explained. “Focused outreach by the study abroad office has also helped students move beyond some of the preconceptions they might have about studying abroad: ‘It’s not for me. I can’t afford it. I don’t know a foreign language.’” Kinsella added peers tend to dispell myths, encourage other students, and become the best advocate for study abroad.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Elizabeth Jamison-Dunn: My life in Spain
Elizabeth Jamison-Dunn is a Howard University 2007 graduate. She had the opportunity to study abroad Fall 2005 spent a semester in Granada, Spain. "The experience proved to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to live with an incredible host family that taught me about the customs and traditions of Spain as well as assisted me in language acquisition and cultural assimilation." said Jamison-Dunn. Jamison- Dunn traveled with, AIFS program through Howard which, also provided her with a lot of support in the transition from an American to Spanish lifestyle.
During her journey, she was able to travel all around Spain and learn about the country's rich history and legacy. She also traveled to Portugal, London, and Morocco through AIFS. "In all of the locations, our group was provided with cultural excursions and the opportunity to learn about the language and traditions of each country. I also was able to personally travel to Italy and France with a smaller group of AIFS students. Visiting these countries was absolutely amazing" Jamison- Dunn said.
When asking for final thought on study abroad Jamison-Dunn said "Overally, my trip to Spain was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I am very greatful that I had the opportunity to broaded my development and expand my horizons."
During her journey, she was able to travel all around Spain and learn about the country's rich history and legacy. She also traveled to Portugal, London, and Morocco through AIFS. "In all of the locations, our group was provided with cultural excursions and the opportunity to learn about the language and traditions of each country. I also was able to personally travel to Italy and France with a smaller group of AIFS students. Visiting these countries was absolutely amazing" Jamison- Dunn said.
When asking for final thought on study abroad Jamison-Dunn said "Overally, my trip to Spain was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I am very greatful that I had the opportunity to broaded my development and expand my horizons."
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Jillian Sweeny: My four months abroad!
Jillian Sweeny is a junior Journalism major at University of California, Irvine Campus from Northern California. Jillian had the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy during the fall 2008 semester. Jillian said “I'd known for a long time I was going to study abroad, it was just a matter of where. My older sister studied abroad in France for a semester when I was in high school and always said she wished she had stayed the year. It was then I cemented the idea of staying an entire school year in another country while learning the language.”
Although Jillian was very adamant spending an entire year in a foreign country unfortunately that dream was deferred. Jillian stated “Plans changed as my major doesn't allow its students to leave for an entire year. I chose Italy because I spent a few days in Southern Italy through a high school program and, to borrow the perfectly fitting cliche, had the time of my life. I'd travelled to France, Canada, Ireland, and Spain, and although I love Ireland and seriously considered it as an option, I wanted to experience the challenges of language barriers."
In preparation, Jillian studied beginner Italian courses for a year before making her way to Florence. She chose to study through American Institute of Foreign Study(AIFS) because it was the only program offered through the University of California system that had most of what she was looking for, “it offered home-stays in Florence, which is surprisingly difficult to find in a program” Jillian said.
When asked to sum four month experience up Jillian left me with these words “My experience is typical in a few ways. I made new friends, gorged myself with Italian food, learned how to read a map, improved my broken Italian, took an innumerable amount of photos, and couldn't believe it had all gone by so fast by the time I got home. In other ways, however, my time abroad was a unique experience that ushered clarity and growth into my life. I'm not going to say it creates epiphanies, or it fixes problems, but studying abroad was definitely a stage of learning in my life and I am grateful for the experience.”
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Shannon Clemons: The Best Experience of My Life
Shannon Clemons is a senior Biology major at Howard University from Chicago Il. Clemons had the opportunity to study abroad in Sydney, Australia during the fall 2007. Clemons had a lot to say about her experiences and how it changed not only her Howard experience but life. Clemons said “On July 17th, 2007, I kissed my parents goodbye to board a twenty-three hour plane ride to the Land Down Under. Arriving in Sydney was like arriving in paradise. The water was crystal blue, but on occasions where the blue bottle jellyfish were in attendance, we couldn’t get into the water at the beach due to thousands of the poisonous creatures that would be in the water and washed up on shore.”
Going abroad you have to step outside your comfort zone. There are various living conditions that you have to adapt to, some students stay in home stays with natives of that specific country, and some people live with other students in similar situations. “I lived in a house with fourteen other people. Our home was exactly five minutes walking from the beach and ten from our uni (uni is short for university, it is Aussie slang). The biggest adjustment of all was being the one of few Black people that reside in Australia. For instance, here at Howard I am used to being surrounded by people of color in my classrooms, my living accommodations and at the local grocery store. I’m used to classes with a maximum of sixty people, not a minimum of one hundred or so and being the only student of color in a class of one hundred was awkward.” Shannon said.
While abroad in any location you learn who you really are, without outside influences. Shannon was often asked by people if she knew anyone in Sydney before I arrived and she replied “No, but that was the best part! I truly had to become independent and rely on myself. I studied at the University of New South Wales and one of the classes I took was Greek Mythology. Before this class, I never had a course that required me to share how I personally felt about ideas that challenged my to write about my own philosophy, which for me started out as a challenge. As time went on, this class along with my “Thinking About Reasoning” philosophy class forced me to open up my mind and encouraged me to embrace my own philosophies. These courses also helped me to have more confidence when expressing myself, which overall, helped me to gain something that I never really possessed, faith in myself. In addition to the course work, I was very fortunate to participate in a research project that focused on neuromuscular fatigue. Working on this research project was very interesting and helped to give me a better understanding of the motor learning systems of the body. While working n the research project I was also taking Motor Learning, Growth Development and Physical Activity and Human Anatomy which all helped to make the learning experience even greater.”
When asked what her favourite memory and best feelings were about study abroad Clemons had a lot to say and replied “One of the best parts of my study abroad experience was being able to have site of others experiences who surrounded me. One of my best friends in Sydney was a young man named Cade from Lubbock TX and he too had never been out of the United States and didn’t have many African American friends back home. Cade grew up line dancing and I grew up doing the electric slide, neither of which would ever be seen in Australia. Just like I had my own experiences down under, Cade did too, but our experiences were vastly different as far as how we were dealing with our time in Sydney. Because we were close, this gave me the opportunity to understand and see what he was going through in addition to myself. So not only do I now have my perspective on living in Sydney from my point of view, but I have also seen first hand the perspective of another individual, which caused me to have an even broader experience. Overall, studying abroad has been one of the best experiences of my life. While in Australia, I was able to explore the Great Barrier, hike through the oldest rainforest in the world “The Daintree Rainforest”, swim with sea turtles, dolphins and sharks, cuddle with koalas and kangaroos, and to top things off, I went bunjee jumping, THREE TIMES!!! Because of all of my experiences, junior year has been my favorite collegiate year thus far and I know the best is yet to come.”
Clemons remains an advocate for study abroad, will graduate this May from Howard University, and will attend Medical School in the Fall; Shannon Clemons is a true example of how study abroad can holistically impact your life.
Going abroad you have to step outside your comfort zone. There are various living conditions that you have to adapt to, some students stay in home stays with natives of that specific country, and some people live with other students in similar situations. “I lived in a house with fourteen other people. Our home was exactly five minutes walking from the beach and ten from our uni (uni is short for university, it is Aussie slang). The biggest adjustment of all was being the one of few Black people that reside in Australia. For instance, here at Howard I am used to being surrounded by people of color in my classrooms, my living accommodations and at the local grocery store. I’m used to classes with a maximum of sixty people, not a minimum of one hundred or so and being the only student of color in a class of one hundred was awkward.” Shannon said.
While abroad in any location you learn who you really are, without outside influences. Shannon was often asked by people if she knew anyone in Sydney before I arrived and she replied “No, but that was the best part! I truly had to become independent and rely on myself. I studied at the University of New South Wales and one of the classes I took was Greek Mythology. Before this class, I never had a course that required me to share how I personally felt about ideas that challenged my to write about my own philosophy, which for me started out as a challenge. As time went on, this class along with my “Thinking About Reasoning” philosophy class forced me to open up my mind and encouraged me to embrace my own philosophies. These courses also helped me to have more confidence when expressing myself, which overall, helped me to gain something that I never really possessed, faith in myself. In addition to the course work, I was very fortunate to participate in a research project that focused on neuromuscular fatigue. Working on this research project was very interesting and helped to give me a better understanding of the motor learning systems of the body. While working n the research project I was also taking Motor Learning, Growth Development and Physical Activity and Human Anatomy which all helped to make the learning experience even greater.”
When asked what her favourite memory and best feelings were about study abroad Clemons had a lot to say and replied “One of the best parts of my study abroad experience was being able to have site of others experiences who surrounded me. One of my best friends in Sydney was a young man named Cade from Lubbock TX and he too had never been out of the United States and didn’t have many African American friends back home. Cade grew up line dancing and I grew up doing the electric slide, neither of which would ever be seen in Australia. Just like I had my own experiences down under, Cade did too, but our experiences were vastly different as far as how we were dealing with our time in Sydney. Because we were close, this gave me the opportunity to understand and see what he was going through in addition to myself. So not only do I now have my perspective on living in Sydney from my point of view, but I have also seen first hand the perspective of another individual, which caused me to have an even broader experience. Overall, studying abroad has been one of the best experiences of my life. While in Australia, I was able to explore the Great Barrier, hike through the oldest rainforest in the world “The Daintree Rainforest”, swim with sea turtles, dolphins and sharks, cuddle with koalas and kangaroos, and to top things off, I went bunjee jumping, THREE TIMES!!! Because of all of my experiences, junior year has been my favorite collegiate year thus far and I know the best is yet to come.”
Clemons remains an advocate for study abroad, will graduate this May from Howard University, and will attend Medical School in the Fall; Shannon Clemons is a true example of how study abroad can holistically impact your life.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Top Ten Reasons to Study Abroad
1. See the world and broaden your experience.
2. Gain a new perspective on your own country.
3. Explore your heritage.
4. Learn a language in a country where it is spoken.
5. Improve your professional and financial potential.
6. Become a full-time learner.
7. Gain new insights and outlooks through new relationships.
8. Fight stereotypes by educating others.
9. Dispel your own stereotypes.
10. Take control of your future.
If you'd like to see each reason explained visit the following site
source: http://allabroad.us/top_ten_reason.php
2. Gain a new perspective on your own country.
3. Explore your heritage.
4. Learn a language in a country where it is spoken.
5. Improve your professional and financial potential.
6. Become a full-time learner.
7. Gain new insights and outlooks through new relationships.
8. Fight stereotypes by educating others.
9. Dispel your own stereotypes.
10. Take control of your future.
If you'd like to see each reason explained visit the following site
source: http://allabroad.us/top_ten_reason.php
Alexandria Franklin's take on Study Abroad
Alexandria Franklin is a senior Fashion Merchandising major at Howard University from Chicago, Il. Franklin had the opportunity to study abroad in Salamanca, Spain during the Spring 2008 semester of her junior year in Howard. During her five month stay in Spain, Franklin traveled troughout various cities in Spain, Europe, and Asia including countries like Italy, France, China, and North Africa.
Franklin stated "Studying abroad was amazing! I met so many wonderful people from all over the world and was able to experience things I would never have thought possible. It made me realize thatthere is a whole world out there full of a million different experiences. I am now much more open minded and much more willing to be spontaneous." Franklin went on to speak on how she feels study abroad was thee most important part of her collegiate experience and how she feels it is very important for all students to experience.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Number 1 ranked school for sending students abroad
Austin College of Sherman ranks No. 1 in the nation for its study abroad participation rates among undergraduate institutions.
This is the third time Austin College has gotten the top ranking in the last five years. The other two were in 2004 and 2006. The Institute of International Education issued its rankings in the Open Doors 2008 report in November.
Over the last decade, an average 70 percent of Austin College students have studied abroad.
For the last year, Austin College was one of 18 institutions in the nation that sent more than 80 percent of students abroad.
This is the third time Austin College has gotten the top ranking in the last five years. The other two were in 2004 and 2006. The Institute of International Education issued its rankings in the Open Doors 2008 report in November.
Over the last decade, an average 70 percent of Austin College students have studied abroad.
For the last year, Austin College was one of 18 institutions in the nation that sent more than 80 percent of students abroad.
Austin College offers many options to get involved while you are abroad, including internship programs as well as service opportunities.
Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope's book Colleges That Change Lives.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Have you considered studying abroad, but are not sure whether it's worth your time? If you ask anybody who has studied abroad, he or she will most certainly tell you that it is a life-changing experience and one of the most rewarding things he or she has ever done.
Perhaps you're not certain what benefits you can reap from an extended stay in a foreign country. This blog is a tool to motivate and expose college students to ANEW world.
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