Peace Corps Compared to Abroad Study?

 

I started researching the Peace Corps today because I wanted to look into another option that had to do with travel but could be done while out of college but still had a purpose other than vacation. The Peace Corps is a volunteer program ran by the United States to help people outside of the U.S usually with work related to social and economic development.

In the Peace Corps people volunteer to go to other countries and help out. Often it is with the community in the place they are staying. Most people sign up for a project in a country and they go there and do that assigned task. The projects can be in fields like education, health, environment, and community economic development.

Studying abroad and the Peace Corps both have in common that they allow you to go to another country and travel, but there are some differences as well. In the Peace Corps volunteers are usually out of college and you aren’t in the foreign country to study but instead to volunteer. You can still learn about the culture and language of the area you are volunteering in, so you still gain global experience when volunteering in the Peace Corps. Although a thing to keep in mind when volunteering in the Peace Corps you may be signing up for a project in an undeveloped country or area, but when choosing to study abroad you will likely be surrounded by a developed and urban setting in the country you are studying in.

 

Peace Corps volunteers in Guatemala

 

No doubt the two experiences would be very different, but I thought that looking into the Peace Corps would be a good idea since many people who are interested in the world sign up to volunteer in the Peace Corps after college. Usually when you commit to a project you spend a certain amount of time in the Peace Corps working on that project which can be two years or more sometimes depending on the amount of time committed. So the major difference between the two options would be that studying abroad is a studying abroad program while the Peace Corps is a volunteering abroad program.

 

Sources:

Beck, Jessie. "10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Joining the Peace Corps." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 June 2014. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessie-beck/10-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-joining-the-peace-corps_b_5511291.html>.

"Homepage." Peace Corps. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.peacecorps.gov/>.

My interview with a recent college graduate

Today I had arranged a meeting with a woman who works at my step-mother’s school. My sister and I met with Kelsey Patterson. Kelsey is a biochemistry major graduate from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She talked with us about college in general and her experiences. I asked her about studying abroad because she mentioned having friends who had done that while at UTK. She explained that UTK has a very welcoming and informative international studies office. She said that there were emails about studying abroad meetings sent out almost every other day. So it sounds like UTK is a very eager school to get people out there studying overseas.

Lately I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not I’d still like to study abroad as I research colleges. I feel like it’s something I’m interested in but I’m not sure I’d want to go study overseas my freshmen year in college. I would consider it my sophomore year maybe. It all would depend on how my classes transferred and what courses were offered.

Kelsey pointed me to UTK’s website about their studying abroad programs. The schools has a lot of different types of programs that students can participate in. UTK offers direct enrollment programs, UTK faculty led programs, and exchange programs. I personally would be most interested in a UTK led program more so than a direct enrollment only because I could stay enrolled into the university in America. UTK isn’t the only school that offers these opportunities. Many other of the larger universities in Tennessee have large abroad programs for their students to partake in.

Recently in my research I’ve been finding that I am kind of becoming less interested in abroad study or more undecided about it. I am still interested in travel and learning about other cultures and places and I am still keeping studying abroad an option, it is just not a top priority. I feel this way mainly because of the way classes transfer over and the fact that you have to wait until the next semester starts in the country you’re studying in which isn’t always the same time as the school you attend in the U.S. I assume or from what I’ve read and heard, you have to put all your activities at your home university on hold while you are out studying abroad. This makes it a little difficult too. I think if I chose to go my second year of college before I started into a major or harder classes then I would like to go study abroad for at least a single semester. I still desire to go abroad but I feel like I’m more aware of what it takes and some of the more difficult things about it now from my research.

Sources:

"International Students and Scholars Services." The Programs Abroad Office. University of Tennessee, Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <https://studyabroad.utk.edu/>.

Patterson, Kelsey. Personal interview. 30 Apr. 2015.

 

 

More Things about Abroad Studies

Today is was looking at various studying abroad related articles on a particular travel blog that I found interesting to me called Virtual Wayfarer. I read an article about how often people mess up when abroad and why. Most reasons seemed to be about general stupidity, unawareness, and sometimes cultural insensitivity.

The blogger tells a story about a woman who entered a pub in Ireland and ordered an alcoholic drink called an Irish Car Bomb. The waiter in the bar did not serve her at first and moved to the next customer. The article explains that this was a faux pas because of Ireland’s past of violent terrorist attacks prominently with car bombs. I myself was not aware of Ireland’s history, or at least in that depth. The blogger gave the example that it would be equivalent to ordering a “9/11” in an American bar.

This article helped further a point that I already knew which is: It’s very, very important to be aware of the culture and history of the area that you travel to or study in. If you don’t respect the culture or history of a place then you might not make as many acquaintances or not learn as much as you could from your time abroad. Learning the history and culture is part of learning abroad so having a bit of knowledge before you step of the plane at wherever you’re going will always help you. So researching the area you are going to visit is important when you want to avoid appearing culturally insensitive and if you want to appear to have an initiative to learn from another culture.

I was also looking at an article that discussed the gender gap in studying abroad? I found it interesting but the majority of students abroad are female. The article said that the ratio was 66% female and 34% male. The article explains that it is likely due to the lack of marketing to male students and sometimes the lack of positive reinforcement for males. Also there is a huge deficit of differences in ethnicity in studying abroad numbers. Most abroad students are Caucasian and there are not very many African American, Hispanic Americans, or Asian Americans that are studying abroad. I think that it should be a goal to better promote the opportunity to study abroad to more people and to find and solve some of the things that may be preventing certain groups from international study.

 

Sources:

Berger, Alex. "Avoid Wrecking Your Study Abroad Experience." Web log post. Http://virtualwayfarer.com/. WordPress, 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. http://virtualwayfarer.com/avoid-wrecking-your-study-abroad-experience/.

Berger, Alex. "Men, It Is Long Past Time to Study Abroad." Web log post. Http://virtualwayfarer.com/. WordPress, 7 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. http://virtualwayfarer.com/men-it-is-long-past-time-to-study-abroad/.

Kaufmann, Karen M. "The Gender Gap." PS: Political Science and Politics 39.3 (2006): 447-53. Www.aifsabroad.com. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. http://www.aifsabroad.com/advisors/pdf/Gender_Gap_Shirley.pdf.

Video Blog

So this is my video blog. It took forever to figure out how to upload and it's pretty bad but at least it's done.

Durban

This week I was a little tired of researching the more boring stuff about studying abroad and I decided to look at one of the interesting aspects: where will you study abroad? Of course, there are many, many cities across the world that international students have the opportunity to study in. Since there are soo many, I only selected a few to look into first. I found it really hard to only pick a few because almost every place I looked at seemed like a wonderful place to study. I finally found one city in particular that I thought would be interesting to research further: Durban, Africa. I originally never considered this city when I thought about studying abroad, but when I looked at it, I became a little bit intrigued to know more about it.

 

Durban, Africa

 

Durban is a coastal city in South Africa. It is one of Africa’s largest ports and the third most populated city in South Africa. Durban is a popular place for tourism because of its warm subtropical climate and vast beaches. It is a very culturally diverse city with Africans, people of British decent, and the largest Indian population outside of Asia.

 

Partially the reason why I took interest in Durban to research is because of how beautiful the city is. I think it would be an interesting and fun area to visit.

Language

Many different languages are spoken throughout South Africa. In Durban, Zulu is the most commonly spoken language with English being the second most spoken.

 

Food

 

Curry and sea food is common cousin in Durban. Mutton is also a common meat, along with shellfish. A lot of Durban food is South African-style Indian food or heavily Indian influenced. Bunny Chow or sometimes Bunny is a popular food in Durban. Bunny Chow is usually a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry. A popular restaurant, especially so for tourists, is the Roma Revolving restaurant, with its clear glass revolving dining room on the 32^nd floor of the John Ross House. At Roma’s you can get a great view of Durban along with an large array of food choices.

 

 

I just barely touched on Durban, but I’m glad I looked into the city. I may be interested in considering going to study abroad in a South African city like Durban. Up until I took interest in Durban, I was mainly focused on visiting a country or city in Europe. I think Durban is a cool city and so I may keep my options very broad on where to travel and study.

 

Sources:

"Durban." - Community Memory. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ulwazi.org/index.php5?title=Durban>.

"ISA - Durban, South Africa Study Abroad Universities." Durban, South Africa Study Abroad Universities. International Studies Abroad Inc., Web. 19 Mar. 2015. <http://studiesabroad.com/programs/country/south_africa/city/durban/viewUniversity>.

"Top Ten Culinary Experiences in Durban -- National Geographic." National Geographic. National Geographic Society., Web. 19 Mar. 2015. <http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/eat-drink-durban/>.

 

The General Types of Programs

When I began my research this week, I wanted to look into the different types of programs offered when choosing to study abroad. The types of programs and details on the programs differ depending on what institution you attend, so different schools have different studying abroad programs. Despite the differences from school to school, there are a few standard or common types of programs offered generally at most schools which can be looked at broadly without getting into the details exclusive to a certain school. Direct enrollment, sponsored studying abroad programs, and summer study abroad programs are the main types I’m interested in looking into and comparing. Internship programs are also offered at certain schools, but I’m less interested in those types of programs so I won’t write about those; I just wanted to mention they are out there if anyone was interested. I also looked into general long-term and short-term trips when studying abroad.

Direct enrollment is a type of abroad program where the student is directly enrolled into a school in the host country. This means that the classes taken are usually offered in the native language of the country and the majority of students in the classes are natives. You would be attending and enrolled in the foreign college for however long you had chosen to be. This, to me, seems like a very adventurous way to study abroad and of course you would have to know the native language very well since your classes would be in the language and you still want to pass your classes abroad. According to Jason Rogers in his article, The Perks of Direct Enrollment for Studying Abroad, direct enrollment is cheaper because one can escape third party expenses and it also offers a great deal more of independence than other programs. I agree that it would take a lot of independence to choose to do this and you would be doing more of the planning yourself.

Sponsored programs are usually when the university is sponsored by many organizations for the studying abroad program. These programs can sometimes be direct enrollment but usually students are enrolled in the university within the United States, but attend classes abroad in a college that the United States college is paired with or in collaboration with. The classes are sometimes offered in English but sometimes they can be in the native language. I believe the school offers a bit more guidance with these types of programs, but you would still need to try to know the native language the best you could unless the program chosen offered English classes.

Summer programs are generally shorter trips offered during the summer by a university and can sometimes be offered by private studying abroad programs or by a university working in collaboration with organizations or with the foreign institute.

With those common types of programs explained, I want to cover long and short term studying abroad. Programs offered vary on time spend spent abroad and that is an important factor when making the decision. Short term usually means anywhere from a summer program that offers a few weeks abroad or spending one semester abroad depending on what a person considers ‘short’. Shorter time abroad can be less expensive than longer trips. Isabel Eva Bohrer says in her article,

“In general, keeping it short is a good option for first-timers. Going abroad always carries with it inherent challenges, whether it be culture shock, homesickness, or merely jet lag for the first couple of days. If you have never studied abroad, or even been abroad before, the first experience in a foreign country can be difficult at times, and perhaps even overwhelming. Restricting your time abroad can help you see the challenge as temporary; you would be surprised, homesickness will not feel as bad if you know you have only a week to go.”

 

I would agree that a shorter time abroad sounds more appealing for a first time experience. I wouldn’t want to sign up for anything longer than a semester without knowing what to expect. I can see that if I liked it then I would maybe think about going for a longer time abroad. Long term can mean anything longer than one semester or even earning a whole degree abroad. This may be good for people who really enjoy the experience or want to get as much foreign experience as possible. A perk to a longer time abroad is that a student has more time to participate within the culture and community of the country they are studying in.

Kevin Kehl and Jason Morris address the issue of global mindedness when comparing short and long term studies. Global mindedness is the new ideas and perspectives gained from international immersion and respect and understanding for different cultures, people, and places. Morris and Kehl claim that shorter term studies offer less opportunity for actually learning about a culture and that students returning from longer term programs are much more global minded than students returning from shorter summer trips. This makes sense and it is easy to see how a trip in the summer can be seen more as a long vacation than a chance to interact and learn-- outside of required classes.

An article posted by Alex Berger on his website explains that the major differences in short term and long term studying abroad are,

“Commitment, Support, Different Educational Systems, Social Restart, and Family”

I think he covers his points very well and offers lots of helpful information. I would recommend checking out his article if you are really interested in studying abroad. Here is a quick link: Five Major Differences Between Long-Term and Short-Term Study Abroad Programs

In conclusion, I learned that planning and choosing just the type of program you are interested in partaking in requires some thought and research. I believe that a short term program would be something I’d lean towards for a first taste of studying abroad even though I agree that it offers less chances to learn about the culture. I want to find out first if I would enjoy it before I commit a large amount of time into it.

 

Sources:

Berger, Alex. "Five Major Differences Between Long-Term and Short-Term Study Abroad Programs." VirtualWayfarer., 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. http://virtualwayfarer.com/five-major-differences-between-long-term-and-short-term-study-abroad-programs/.

Bohrer, Isabel E. "Short or Long-Term Study Abroad? ." Short or Long-Term Study Abroad?  Making the Decision. Transitions Abroad, 17 Oct. 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. <http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/study/articles/study-abroad-short-or-long-term.shtml>.       

            Kehl, Kevin, and Jason Morris. Differences in Global-Mindedness between Short-Term and Semester-Long Study Abroad Participants at Selected Private Universities: n. pag. Www.frontiersjournal.com. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. http://www.frontiersjournal.com/documents/KehlMorrisFRONTIERSJOURNALXVWinter2007-08.pdf.

            Rogers, Jason. "The Perks of Direct Enrollment for Study Abroad." The Perks of Direct Enrollment for Study Abroad. Go Overseas, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. http://www.gooverseas.com/blog/perks-direct-enrollment-study-abroad.

            The University of Scranton. "The University of Scranton Study Abroad Program." Types of Study Abroad ProgramsStudy Abroad. The University of Scranton, 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. <http://studyabroad.scranton.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Parent_ID=0&Link_ID=CDD1A4D6-26B9-564D-D6068A20001AB689>.

Downsides?

Last week I began researching the opportunity of studying abroad for college students. This is an opportunity I may be interested in trying while I attend college. I wanted to start off very broad and very basic. I already know what studying abroad is and I've always heard great things about it. Never hearing negative aspects about the subject kind of makes me skeptical, so I began to look for the pros and cons to studying abroad with a focus on the negative aspects usually not mentioned.

I learned, but mostly already knew, that one of the most prevalent issues with studying abroad is the financial costs of the program. The cost can vary on the school, the program, and even the country and city you are studying in. As expected the monetary expenses are going to be high when traveling to another school in another country to spend a semester. One article mentioned that some scholarships were offered for studying abroad as well as aid and financial plans. Either way it would be best to plan ahead before making the investment. I’m not so much worried about the cost at the moment. I’m more concerned with finding out more about it and whether or not I’d want to do it. Then, I can decide if it is worth the financial costs for me.

The next most important con to me is the culture shock and homesickness mentioned as a very likely side effect for students overseas. Going to a country where English isn’t the native language and attending classes with that language would be very challenging. Some of the articles I read warned that, contrary to popular thought, students studying abroad do not just pick up the language and begin to speak it fluently.

In her article, “Studying Abroad: Expectations vs. Reality?” Arielle Demchuk says:

“If you don't hang out with locals, you're going to automatically divert to English, which is within your comfort zone and which will often be the common language within a dorm of international students.”

I find this pretty helpful advice. Learning a language takes time and studying, although being in an area where people speak that language often will help you learn it. The homesickness and having to leave college life on campus would be hard as well. Students going on trips abroad would have to leave clubs and friends behind for a while. I’d imagine you’d miss some things. I know I’d be scared going to another country, but the idea is also exciting.

After researching the major cons of studying abroad, I would have to say that the choice to go or not is really up to how bad you want to and how important it is to you. I believe you have to put hard work into planning it and making an effort to learn the language and communicate with the locals. It would take an attitude where one would be willing to try new things and be brave enough to step out of their comfort zone. I think it could be a very enjoyable experience if you worked to make it that. From what I know, it’s commonly fantasized that it will be wonderful going overseas when (not saying it isn’t but) it can be very challenging as well and everything probably won’t go super well and easy, especially at first.

Now, I am even a bit nervous about the idea of abroad study. It makes sense to enjoy the experience to its highest potential that you’d have to step out of your comfort zone within a foreign environment. I just hope that I can do that if I were to go. I want to research more and maybe find ways to sort out or prevent – at least partially – some of the cons to studying abroad.

Sources:

1. Arora, Devika. "The Pros and Cons of Studying Abroad." Article. N.p., Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. http://www.gradschools.com/article-detail/studying-abroad-in-graduate-school-2184.

2. Berdan, Stacie Nevadomski. "Busting the Top 10 Study Abroad Myths." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacie-nevadomski-berdan/busting-the-top-10-study-abroad_b_4175861.html.

3. Brewer, Holly. "The Pros and Cons of Studying Abroad." Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. http://www.gradschools.com/article-detail/studying-abroad-in-graduate-school-2184.

4. Demchuk, Arielle. "Studying Abroad: Expectations vs. Reality?" Studying Abroad: Expectations vs. Reality?, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.< http://www.goabroad.com/articles/study-abroad/studying-abroad-expectations-vs-reality>.

5. Editoral Board. "The Unseen Effects of Study Abroad." The Duke Chronicle. Duke Student Publishing Company, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2013/09/30/unseen-effects-study-abroad>