SSA Themes List
Contact Us
Phone:
888.272.7881 (toll-free in US)
802.258.3212
TTY:
802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3296
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA
Contact us by email.
Benefits of Study Abroad
Congratulations – your student is thinking about embarking on an exciting, transformative opportunity through studying abroad. For many parents and family members, this decision comes with a host of questions and concerns, beginning with, "Why should my student study abroad?" Sometimes this question is motivated by concerns about study abroad disrupting a student’s course of study back in the US, or concern about how a student will use their time abroad, or questions about the safety of a particular location. While all parents will need to answer these important questions for themselves, it is also important to consider all the benefits that study abroad offers to students.
Study abroad is increasingly recognized for the value that it adds to an undergraduate education. Many universities are strongly supportive of international study (even mandating it in many cases), and new federal and state legislation supports increased funding and support for international education. Employers are also interested in seeing international education experiences on resumes and discussing them during interviews. But what it is it about the study abroad experience that makes it so worthwhile?
SIT Study Abroad programs have unique qualities that set them apart, especially in regards to its experiential, field-based learning. Here are just some of the benefits of studying abroad:
Students gain new perspective on the world. SIT Study Abroad programs take students through a cultural and academic experience from the inside out – they see issues of globalization, development, poverty, and social inequity from many different perspectives. When they return to the US, they will see things differently; students can put themselves in someone else’s shoes more easily and have a more nuanced understanding of the world.
Students can test their interests. On a study abroad term, especially a field-based one like SIT, students can take their interests in a more specific, applied direction. They can try field research or clinical work and interact with professionals working in fields of interest to them.
Students increase language skills. SIT Study Abroad programs range from beginner to advanced, and many programs accommodate students at all levels. By using their language in daily life, students on our programs discover that they not only can survive but flourish in another country.
Students improve, learn, and refine decision-making and problem-solving skills. Students studying abroad find themselves in new situations all the time. When students maneuver through uncharted territory, convey their needs and thoughts using intercultural skills, or get themselves out of a jam, they gain confidence. These skills are also transferable to other aspects of life, both personal and professional.
Students learn research skills and cross-cultural ethics. Not all programs incorporate field research, but those that do, like SIT Study Abroad, provide students with an opportunity to test themselves and contribute to the community in which they conduct their research. Students often wonder whether field research or graduate programs are for them, and often after conducting field research themselves, they are able to make that decision. During their fieldwork, students must be self-directed, motivated, self-reliant, and flexible in new situations, tools that they will continue to call upon long after the program ends.
Students make lasting connections. Between academic directors, other program staff, other program participants, homestay families, and program contributors, students meet a whole new network of people. Some students may call upon their in-country professional contacts soon after the program, perhaps in pursuit of a Fulbright or Watson Scholarship; others may stay in touch with homestay families; still others may connect to their program classmates in a way that they do not with other friends. No matter who stays in touch, all of these relationships are deeply enriching and provide wonderful memories.
Student comments:
"My experience abroad reemphasized where my interests lay, both personally and academically, and at the same time provided a holistic and invaluable aspect to my education involving insight into the human condition. Although people of different cultures and traditions may vary, certain human aspects have basic universal components worldwide. The interactions I had with several Kenyans emphasized those components and allowed me to expand my perception of people and my respect for differences."
– Alum from the Kenya: Swahili Studies and Coastal Cultures program
"Before this semester I lived the way I had been taught to live by my culture and had the feeling that I really couldn't change anything. After being in Australia the last three months, I am beginning to have a whole new outlook and realize that changing the way we live is feasible."
– Alum from the Australia: Sustainability and the Environment program
Read more about SIT Study Abroad’s program model and academic structure.
