The Importance of Studying Abroad
A Parent's Perspective
Hi, I'm a study abroad participant's father. Our daughter just returned from a year in Madrid. It was not an easy year for her. It was challenging, often overwhelming, but it transformed her into a competent, resourceful young woman with a worldly perspective.
We visited her in March, and she was so proud to show us her competence, her mastery of the Metro system and regional trains, her command of Spanish, and her apartment mates from France, Mexico, Australia, The Netherlands, England and Peru. She introduced us to Spanish friends and friends from California. She took us to favorite restaurants, coffee shops and bars. And she cried harder on the day we left in April, than she did on the day she left in August.
Let parents and students know that this program is not a vacation, it is a transforming experience that, like all things of value, must be worked for and earned. They are growth experiences, teaching students how to shower in cold water and drink warm milk. How to study in classrooms with no heat, negotiate with people who speak REAL Spanish (not the classroom kind), and who couldn't care less if you have a nice day. How alone you can feel that first week in a hot, cramped and dimly lit dorm room, with everyone you love across the ocean and you feel like throwing up any second because of that awful mystery meat sandwich at lunch.
To search for an apartment, negotiate rent, study in a new system, stay healthy, smile and dig in when the waiter puts a bowl of tripe in front of you; to be lost and frustrated, then to find yourself and be triumphant. Those things are hard enough for a young person moving to a new city in the US. But to have to adapt to a foreign city would be much tougher. As time passed there were triumphs and competencies that no one will ever be able to take from her, or any student who completes the term.
How to make sense of things when you watch planes fly into buildings at home, and your roommate tells you that she feels sorry about what happened but the world knows that America deserved it. How to find your way home from another town, when the busses have stopped running, and you can't afford a train and there's no ATM machine in town, and you don't speak Italian and they don't speak English or Spanish and it's siesta so the bank is closed, so you rely on your creativity and sign language and pantomime and the kindness of strangers to get you home.
And you call your parents and tell them what a wonderful time you had in Rome with your new friends from school in Madrid. And then you tell them about your class in the Prado, and what religious history lies under the surface in Velasquez' masterpiece, Las Meninas. How the clubs stay open all night, and you've become addicted to cafe con leche, and you joined a health club where you've met some really nice Spanish people.
You wonder why we need to drive those enormous cars in the US, and you kind of like siesta, how it shows that in Europe they work to live while we in the States live to work. Why American guys dress so poorly. And you think maybe that French roommate was expressing the feelings of a lot of people in the world.
And you come home with five hundred pictures and a thousand stories of your big and little daily conquests. Best of all, you have a quiet pride at having DONE IT...something nobody but you did, and something nobody can ever take away from you. What a wonderful experience.
Absolutely priceless.
Father of Student Abroad, Participant in the Spain program
sponsored by the central UW-Madison International
Academic Programs office
Views from past business students abroad
Sydney Spring 2008
The internship experience not only gave me real-world experience, but it provided a firm perspective on how business is conducted at the global level. For an undergrad with limited knowledge of the business world, this was an invaluable experience. I now have a competitive advantage amongst other students that may be applying for popular and selective career opportunities in the near future.
Paris Spring 2008
I had an unbelievable experience in Paris that I know I will remember and cherish forever. That being said, I’m not ready to pack up and move to France just yet because it did make me realize things that I had taken for granted here, so I think I got a better understanding of both the American and French cultures by living there for a half a year.
Milan Spring 2008
This study abroad program is different than most because it isn’t a program exactly, you are exchange students at Bocconi. Most of your friends will be in programs that do a lot of the organizing of trips, housing, activites, etc. for you, which in some ways is nice, but this program really allowed us to be independent and make the experience our own. My roommates and I found our own housing, planned our own trips, and really got the experience of living on our own in Milan.
Paris Fall 2007
I had few problems understanding (the lectures in French). My grades did suffer a bit because I wasn’t able to explain myself so well in exams but grades are minimal compared to what I actually got out of it. And if a recruiter wants to question me about my grades while I was in Paris, I say bring it on.
Seville Fall 2006
There were many times when I struggled. It wasn’t always easy. It makes me respect people from other cultures that are here in the US, and out of their comfort zones. Also, after this experience, I feel as though I am capable of packing up a suitcase and going anywhere in the world.
Madrid, Spring 2005"The communication experience made me feel much more confident in the United States business world. I think it will be mandatory to travel abroad in the future. It opens your mind to a whole new world outside the bubble."
Milan, Spring 2005
"This experience gives you something more invaluable than an internship or obtaining straight A's at the UW. It teaches you how to live life to the fullest, be thankful for what you have, develop as an individual, and learn more about yourself, the world, and the people around you."
Hong Kong, Spring 2004
"The experience has helped me to better understand beliefs, norms, mannerisms, and differences of other cultures, and to appreciate where they come from"
Santiago, Academic Year 2003-2004
"From a cultural and social view point, I am much more open, much more understanding now than I was . . . . Being thrown into a new world with no safety net is really where you can find yourself."
Today's competitive job market
During students' undergraduate careers, they have the unique opportunity to explore the world through UW-Madison School of Business International Programs. International Programs offers opportunities to study in more than a dozen different programs and in a variety of languages, including numerous options in English. The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus is not limited only to Madison; rather it extends across borders and around the globe.
In today's global economy, study abroad can be a defining element to every student's undergraduate degree. Many companies increasingly desire leaders with the ability to live successfully in a variety of countries and work with people of various cultural backgrounds. Study abroad can provide the structure for students to acquire these skills and give them an edge over the competition. The distinction of having studied in a foreign country for a summer, semester, or year can be invaluable to your student's future career in today's competitive job market.
No need to know a foreign language to study abroad
While some programs have a foreign language requirement, there are many opportunities for English-speaking study abroad experiences. China, Mexico, Norway, and Thailandare just a few examples of such programs. In some locations, students may study the native language at a beginner level and have the perfect chance to practice their new skills outside the classroom. Whatever language level your student has achieved, where better could he or she practice the proper usage and pronunciation than surrounded by native speakers? The ability to speak a foreign language remains a vital talent in any field or career.
Independence
During the students' time overseas, they will undoubtedly encounter unexpected situations that will allow them to develop self-sufficiency and independence. The more times participants successfully navigate such situations, the more confident they will become in their ability to fend for themselves. Opportunities to take weekend trips to different cities, traveling before or after the program, and even daily life will teach valuable lessons. By the end of the program, most families notice a definite change in how independent and responsible their student is becoming.
It is also important for students to learn what it means to be a member of their native culture. They may find themselves challenging long-held beliefs. They will discover many surprising differences and similarities between their native culture and that of the program site. Students should be prepared to encounter criticism of American foreign policy and consider what their response will be.
We hope you are proud of your students' choices to study abroad during their undergraduate careers. It will be a time of challenge, growth and adventure that they will remember for a lifetime.
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