"The Experience"



2006: The Year of Study Abroad

Author: petersons, Category: College Search

Been thinking about going overseas to study? There hasn’t been a much better time than now, considering that on November 11, 2005, the United States designated 2006 the official Year of Study Abroad. No new laws came with the designation, but it did formally acknowledge the importance of international education, understanding, and cooperation in a global community.

Mostly symbolic in its language, Senate Resolution 308 encourages secondary schools, colleges, businesses, and governments to promote and expand opportunities for work and study abroad. In light of research and data demonstrating that America and its citizens are lacking in global education and competence, the resolution also encourages Americans to show their support for study abroad initiatives.

The world needs you
Putting the focus on study abroad isn’t just a Senate thing. The resolution contains a few interesting facts from various polls and studies conducted in recent years, including:

* A 2002 American Council on Education study revealed that although 79 percent of people polled believed that most students should have a study abroad experience, only 1 percent of the student population actually participated in one.
* A 2005 NAFSA poll showed that 90 percent of those polled believe international education is crucial for today’s students.
* A National Geographic global literacy survey found that 87 percent of students in the United States between the ages of 18 and 24 cannot locate Iraq on a world map, 83 percent cannot find Afghanistan, 58 percent cannot find Japan, and 11 percent cannot even find the United States.

Timing is everything
Given recent global events, it seems appropriate that the U.S. Senate wants to encourage you to go abroad. The presence of American students and workers around the world could be crucial to establishing long-term goodwill and understanding, both through the actions, ideas and values you share with the world, as well as through those that you acquire and bring back to share with your peers.

However, the importance of international student exchange and education programs isn’t something new to American legislators, as the resolution points out. The Higher Education Act of 1965 (yes, that’s more than 40 years ago!) formally recognized that global security and stability could largely be achieved with the active presence of global experts in world regions, religions, languages, cultures, and politics. Several decades may have passed, but it’s never too late to get started — after all, a global community can take awhile to create!

What the U.S. government is doing about it
Talk is cheap, and while an official resolution to name 2006 as the Year of Study Abroad sounds nice, it’s even better when it’s coupled with initiatives and funding that encourage the development of international education and study abroad programs.

Seeking to help the country out on two levels — national security and international diplomacy — the President requested an extra $43 million in the 2007 budget. This money will be used to fund competitive grants to create and expand foreign language education (known as the National Strategic Language Initiative), as well as to expand international education and exchange programs. While all language education is part of the proposal, the initiative seeks to increase the number of students studying (and mastering!) languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, and Farsi.

What are you waiting for?
So, with Senate support and maybe a few years of Arabic or Chinese behind you, study abroad seems like a logical step. Consider what you hope to achieve. If you don’t want to stray too far from what’s familiar, look for an experience in a modern and/or westernized region. But if you’re looking to have an impact on the future, consider what you could do by going abroad to a developing country or immersing yourself into a culture that you don’t know and that doesn’t know you. The lessons you take to them and bring home may just bring you the next Nobel Peace Prize.

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