An increasing number of University students are considering study abroad programs this year, Overseas Study Advisor Jessica Roberts said yesterday.
Roberts said she anticipates about 20 to 25 more students will study in a foreign country in the spring semester. Last year about 140 students studied abroad during the spring.
Part of the increased interest can be attributed to a heightened awareness of study abroad programs among students and their parents.
Information about study abroad options has become more easily accessible recently, she said.
This year, the University implemented a summer orientation program for first-year students, in which the students are exposed to the benefits of studying in a foreign country.
"More students are going to consider it because they are exposed to information earlier and parents are a bit more knowledgeable about it," Roberts said.
Faculty involvement is critical, she said.
She added that faculty members inspire students to study abroad when they return from having done research in another country and discuss their experiences in the classroom.
Roberts also runs a study abroad peer advising program to cultivate interest in first- and second-year students.
The peer advisors "provide more contact with people who have actually studied abroad," Roberts said. "It is a way for students to start thinking about those opportunities early on."
Fourth-year College student Laurie Diehl, a peer advisor in charge of outreach, said studying in a different environment is a positive experience.
"There is a lot to be learned outside this country," Diehl said. "There are certain things that you simply cannot learn going to an American university for four years."
The International Studies Office provides "tremendous support" for students, she said.
Roberts said studying in a foreign school is beneficial for many students, including those in the Architecture, Engineering and Commerce schools.
"Traditionally it was students in the social sciences that ended up studying abroad because humanities curriculums stress the importance of a field work experience abroad," she said. But now students in all areas of study "are aware that having global competence and communicating with people from other cultures is an important part of helping them to more easily interact with people of different cultures."
Fourth-year Engineering student Andrew Deal said his experience studying in England was invaluable.
"Not many engineers get a chance to go abroad and see what's out there," Deal said. "There's no comparison -- just being over there puts a whole new perspective on the world"
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