USU students learn overseas
For many students, study abroad is a practical way to achieve academic goals, such as language fluency; for others, the thrill of being encompassed in a new and different culture is reward enough for a semester of study abroad, said Kay Forsyth, director of the Utah State University Study Abroad Office.
Whatever their reason for going, students participating in study abroad are learning things about the world and about themselves that experience abroad has brought about, Forsyth said.
“Without [my experience in study abroad], I wouldn’t consider my education complete,” said Leah Harris, a USU senior majoring in technical writing, who spent a year abroad in Kyoto, Japan.
Study Abroad may take several forms at USU, Forsyth said. Students may go through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which is a consortium USU belongs to, or they may attend one of USU’s many “partner” schools with which it exchanges students on a regular basis, Forsyth said. By applying to ISEP, a student can be applying to nearly 10 of ISEP’s 100 international institutions at once, Forsyth said.
“Flexibility can provide a student with a lot more opportunities,” Forsyth said.
The Study Abroad Office also organizes group language programs through the USU language department to help students gain fluency in languages such as Russian, Spanish, German and French, Forsyth said.
Of the 162 students who entered the Study Abroad program last year, approximately 80 were exchange students to international institutions. The rest were participating in a variety of other programs which send students abroad, said Study Abroad Office staff assistant Emily Phillips.
Forsyth said there are a few steps students need to follow to apply for study abroad.
“The first thing to do is to get an application filled out by the deadline, which varies according to programs,” Forsyth said. “Then, after you get accepted, you attend an orientation where you talk about logistics, such as cost, student visas, passports and you need to work with an academic adviser to plan courses.”
Study Abroad doesn’t have to be a set-back in graduation plans, Forsyth said. Students can take courses which will fulfill courses in their major or general education, and the credits are transferable, she said.
Cost is another factor which isn’t as daunting as students may think, Forsyth said. Tuition and cost in a foreign institution is based on USU tuition and cost, she said. In addition, Forsyth said scholarships and financial aid are transferable 99 percent of the time.
Once the logistics are taken care of, students are on their way to an international experience, where they have the choice of staying with a native host family or at dorm housing at the foreign university, Forsyth said.
“I spent a semester with a host family and another on campus,” Harris said. “Staying with the family really immersed me in the culture of Japan. When I lived at the university, I got to make a lot of friends my own age and see the young side of Japan. I’m glad I did a semester of each.
“When you study abroad, you get to see a lot that tourists never would,” Harris said. “It reminded me of National Geographic because I got to see the culture from the inside out.”
Forsyth said, “There are a lot of factors that can go into where you go such as your major, your interests, a language you’re interested in learning or amenities like skiing opportunities.”
However, it’s key to remember that it’s not so much where you go as what you make of it, she said.
“‘The world is a book. Those who do not travel read only one page,'” Forsyth said.