An issue that I have started to think about a lot lately is studying abroad. My twin sister's approaching travels to Italy this summer prompted these thoughts. She will be studying abroad in Paderno del Grappa, Italy with the CIMBA program, a program offered to both KU business and journalism students. Since she wants to be an accountant, (I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer as to why) she is going for the business program.
Paderno del Grappa, ItalyPhoto: Cimbaitaly.com
So when I received an e-mail a few days ago, (as I'm sure many of you did) saying that the CIMBA program is now offering journalism students the chance to attend the program in the summer (previously it was only offered to journalism students for the semester or year) I was excited. I thought that now I could go to Italy too; my sister and I could experience Italy together.
Yet, being a much more independent and outgoing person than I am she quickly shot me down, saying that this was supposed to be her experience, by herself, surviving in a foreign country without any "help."
We all know that studying abroad is a "good opportunity," that's been drilled into us, but my sister made me wonder if the experience is better if you do it alone? I, having no friends that have studied abroad don't know how common it is for friends or acquaintances to study abroad together.
Along the same lines, many study abroad programs offered at KU are led by a KU instructor with the group being comprised of mostly KU students. Since students may be familiar with each other does this make the program less of a cultural experience?
I just wonder if there are there different levels of the study abroad experience. One of the purposes of studying abroad is to take you out of your comfort zone in order to immerse yourself in a new culture. Can that only be fully done by doing it alone?
If you're going to study abroad, KU is a great place to do it. According to the 2006 Open Doors Report, KU ranks eighth in the nation among public research universities according to the percentage of students that study abroad. The Study Abroad Office at KU claims to offer more than 100 programs in about 60 countries all over the world.
Whether studying abroad alone or with acquaintances, KU gives students ample opportunity to have an international experience and either way I guess, it looks good on a resume.
I think I must have done something wrong the first time I posted on your blog because it is not showing up. So I apologize if you get this twice :).
First off, I loved your post and I hope you get the opportunity to go study abroad. Ok, so you posed a few questions to your audience. One is is it better to travel alone vs. with someone that you know? Does going with a group of like minded Americans hamper one's ability to assimilate into the culture? And are there different study abroad options available?
Recently my boyfriend and I have decided to look into the Peace Corps as an option to gain some cultural experience. I think that KU is full of options for students to travel the globe and it really depends on the person. Some may feel more comfortable going with a group of people or with close friends and others would rather go off alone.
For me I have chosen to take my best friend (my finance). But there are so many ways to get experience outside the country. Some study abroad programs only last a few weeks while others last a year. Or you could always look to the Peace Corps as an option and that is a two year commitment. Whatever your preference there is something out there for everybody.
Full disclosure: I went on the CIMBA program in Spring '08 and work in the CIMBA office in Lawrence, KS.
Is it better if you do it alone?
From my experience, my semester program had about 150 students (this coming summer program is well over 200). Of those students, about 80 were from KU, and about 30-40 of them knew each other pretty well before. In other words, a quarter of the people I went with to CIMBA already knew each well. This isn't a problem though. I had no friends coming with me. I knew some people who were there, but I wasn't friends any of them.
So is it better to do it alone? It really depends on what you want to get out of studying abroad. It isn't going to be a less cultural experience if you go with your best friend or sister, but if you're goal is to not rely on your family and friends for a while and test your own personal boundaries and you easily fall into relying on friends, then it might be better do it alone. You meet new people, create lasting friendship. Sometimes it is hard to do that when you have a "crutch" of someone familiar there to fall back on.
The best thing you can do with your sister if you also go abroad with her is to set expectations. Talk about what you want to get out of the experience and how that relates to each other. Do you want to travel together all the time, some, not at all? There is definitely room at CIMBA to do your own thing. Your sister's concerns are legitimate and deserve attention. Try to respect each others goals for the experience and hopefully, both of you can come to an understanding that each of you is there to grow in your own ways. It's a really great experience. Put in the effort, and you can get exactly the kind of experience you hope for.
Good Luck!
I plan to study abroad at Paderno del Grappa Spring 2009 as well and I can relate to what your sister is feeling. I don't think it is a big deal if you know alot of people in the program or not. I have had several friends study abroad and I haven't heard one negative thing about it. Everyone says its the time of your life. I mean how often do you get to live in a different country for a couple of months? Your sister probably wants to gain even more independence and see what its like to be really on her own.