How to truly expand your horizons
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The world is not so “black and white” to students who study abroad.
“Study abroad changes students in some not very subtle ways, and it changes students in very subtle ways,” said Janis Perkins, the director of the UI Office of Study Abroad.
Early planning is best
Perkins said it’s important for students to start thinking about studying abroad early during their college career so they are prepared for the application process. Students can begin traveling abroad as soon as the summer after their freshman year, she said.
“The processes in selecting a study-abroad program are pretty straight forward,” she said, noting that students meet with both a peer adviser and a professional adviser to plan a program.
Where should you go?
The UI offers more than 70 different study-abroad programs scattered across nearly every continent. The only continent where you can’t study abroad? Antarctica.
Many students choose to study in England or Spain, Perkins said, but other countries, such as China are gradually becoming more popular.
“We like to encourage students, all students, to consider studying abroad in locations that are off the beaten track,” she said.
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Cost of (foreign) culture
While studying abroad can be a bit more expensive than a semester at the UI, the university gives more than $500,000 every year in scholarships.
For some students, spending the summer abroad is a better option.
“The summer was a better option — it was more financially feasible,” said UI student Carly Johnson.
Perkins said studying abroad for any length of time is better than not going at all.
Students returning from study abroad “don’t see the world in quite the same ‘black and white’ way,” she said.
Study abroad stats
• In 2007-08, 1,218 students studied abroad
• Class standing of those who studied abroad was: 1 percent freshmen, 9 percent sophomores, 36 percent juniors, and 54 percent seniors
• Students studying abroad represented 64 different majors and went to 59 different countries — more than half of them went to Western Europe
• Roughly 40 percent went abroad for a semester, 39 percent for a summer, and 6 percent for the entire year
Go abroad for less
Scholarships offered for undergraduates wishing to study abroad range from $500 to $20,000. Some of those offered: Presidential Scholarship for Study Abroad, Dean’s Scholarships for Study, Study Abroad Merit Scholarships, Summer & Short-Term Study Abroad Scholarships.
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