Column: Study abroad, a college journey worth taking

Aggies have a storied history of international studies, with our earliest ventures dating back to the 1930s. The Encyclopedic History of Utah State University records that in the midst of the Great Depression, USU sent its very first students abroad, traveling to Bolivia and Iran to study local expertise in irrigation and disease resistance.  

Since USU established its Office of Global Engagement in 1980, thousands of unique opportunities to take one’s educational pursuits beyond the United States have left many Aggies asking, “Why should I study abroad?” 

Living in another part of the world presents students with the opportunity to expand their global and interpersonal understandings. American students can accustom themselves with social and cultural norms of the countries they visit. This is not an exclusive experience but one shared by foreign students who make the trip to Utah. 

Virginie Reali, a senior lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of World Languages and Cultures, was an exchange student who traveled from her native home in Grenoble, France to the University of California. She said it was one of her richest experiences. 

“I got to discover a new way to look at grad studies, and I got to encounter a system that allows their grad students to start teaching,” Reali said in an interview with The Utah Statesman.  

Reali actively encourages her students to study abroad, occasionally starting her classes with presentations lead by a peer adviser. She believes experiences like her own are beneficial to the development of a student’s character. 

“They realize that they can do more than they thought they could,” Reali said. “It is amazing to see those students — to see the difference even from one month. I have students who developed a sense of self, a sense of confidence, and it’s beautiful to see.” 

Beyond the personal benefits, studying abroad also heightens career prospects, providing graduates with an edge in an already competitive job market.  

Monika Galvydis, USU’s director of study abroad, said she has seen these abilities change students who enter her office.  

“Personally, I think it’s amazing,” Galvydis said. “Professionally, it gives them a lot to talk about in an interview. There’s some really great studies that kind of show this cycle — that a student goes abroad, they gain new skills and then they have something to put on their resumes.”  

One such study found even taking a short program can increase skills associated with employability amongst university graduates. Students who study abroad are more than twice as likely to report improvements in critical abilities such as communication, adaptation, quick learning and decision-making. According to “Boosting Career and Employability Outcomes Through Multiple Learning Abroad Experiences,” a research article published in Sage Journals, students are more likely to find and keep a long-term career, receiving higher salaries than the average professional in their field. 

But for all the betterment studying abroad may provide, there exists multiple barriers to entry. The American Council on Education found despite the fact that nearly half of students polled wished to partake in a study abroad program, less than 5% of them ended up doing so. The largest “hard” barrier tends to be cost, but solutions for affording a trip are more plentiful than one might expect. 

Through partner organizations such as ISEP Study Abroad, students can find housing and meals at the cost of their home institution. Existing costs are not increased, and financial aid can be applied towards foreign studies.  

Various scholarships are open for students pursuing fields or skills in critical demand, like IT or foreign languages.  

Allee Stakebake, a senior majoring in Chinese, said the process of applying for her three-month trip to Taiwan was easy, ranking the difficulty on a scale from one to 10, with one being very easy and 10 being very difficult. 

“[T]he Taiwanese school’s part of it was probably like one, two,” she said. “The USU side of it [was] probably a four.” 

This leaves “soft” barriers, like social, emotional and cultural anxieties students may carry about being a stranger in a different country.  

Study abroad advisor Jillian Glasser said when she first sought out courses in Japan at age 16, she was worried she’d struggle to connect with the local community.  

“They didn’t speak any English at all,” Glasser said.  

According to Glasser, her host sister was also learning a new language, and the two were more similar than she thought.  

“You know, they’re there to guide you,” Glasser said. “They really respect you and they want to get to know you on a deeper level, and I really felt that.” 

Meyja McArthur, a junior majoring in anthropology, felt that alongside visits to Angkor Wat and discussions of the Cambodian genocide, her studies in Phnom Penh taught her more about herself and her place in the world. 

 “[I gained] more compassion and empathy and understanding, and also, in a way, appreciation of my own country, to a degree, of what I have access to,” she said. 

She also remarked on her experiences with everyday Cambodians, reflecting on what she learned from them and how she as an American may have impacted their lives as well. 

“They were very friendly, and pretty funny, too. I really enjoyed interacting with our guide. It was a nice awakening of just how awesome these people are, and they’ve been through so much and how they react to adversity, and how I can also approach that in my own life,” McArthur said. “Hopefully, the experience they had with someone coming from the United States was a little more positive than others they’ve had before.” 

It is far from a secret that as of recent years, global tensions have been worsening. As war, economic downturn and many other challenges test the strength of our institutions and threaten to drive us further apart, we should strive to see the humanity we share with others. Studying abroad is a life-changing reminder that as a people, we are strongest when we work together, sharing our talents across borders and opening our minds to those different from our own.