Increasing tuition and sometimes volatile conditions abroad have not deterred University students from studying in foreign countries. More University students are studying abroad than ever before, according to the Office of International Programs.
The number of University students studying abroad increased 7.6 percent from fall 2002 to fall 2003. This reflects a nationwide rise of 4.4 percent for the 2001-2002 school year, the most recent year for which national statistics are available.
“The University of Oregon is certainly an international university, and with encouragement of faculty and the administration, more and more students are interested in studying abroad,” Assistant Director of Overseas Study Programs Cari Vanderkar said. She added that about 15 percent of University students study abroad at some time during their University career.
The 775 students who studied abroad in 2002-2003 were part of a a steady trend of increasing enrollment in study abroad programs. Since 1997-1998, the University has seen a 35 percent jump in study abroad enrollment.
“The students I talk with are enthusiastic about traveling,” Vanderkar said.
Students who have been abroad had positive things to say about their experiences.
“It was great,” said Sarah Countryman, a graduate student who studied in Perugia, Italy in the summer of 2001. “I learned a lot about Italian culture that I don’t think I would have here.”
Evan Hobbs, a Southern Oregon University student currently studying in Quito, Ecuador, said his experience has been “incredible.”
“It’s been by far the most positive and valuable thing I’ve gotten out of college to date,” Hobbs said. “If it were up to me I’d require it of all students. You could study a language for five years and not gain the fluency that you could in one year of living in a foreign country.”
Hobbs and Countryman said that anti-American sentiment abroad did not negatively affect their experiences.
“People are very good about differentiating between the American government and Americans as a people,” Hobbs said. “Ecuadorians have been, for the most part, incredibly warm and friendly to me.”
Countryman said she felt “totally” safe in Italy despite anti-American demonstrations that erupted during her stay.
“They had a bunch of people burning flags outside of the American embassy,” she said.
Some University students did choose to stay home following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, according to Vanderkar.
“Fourteen students chose not to participate that fall, most likely due to Sept. 11,” she said.
Despite international conditions, University students have chosen a broad range of countries in which to study. While Italy and Mexico are the most popular destinations, University students dot the globe.
In 2002-2003, students studied in such diverse locations as Japan, Chile, Russia, Greece, Thailand and Ghana. Two students even studied in Cuba, a forbidden fruit to most Americans because of federal sanctions.
Turkey and Israel were the only Middle Eastern nations that University students studied in during 2002-2003.
The average University student abroad is most likely a junior and most likely female, according to University statistics. This profile is consistent with national figures.
Some fields of study also tend to draw a disproportionate number of University students abroad. In 2002-2003, 55 business majors, 55 journalism majors, 52 architecture majors, 49 Spanish majors, 47 art majors and 46 international studies majors studied abroad. Majors such as chemistry, women’s studies, linguistics and geological sciences each contributed fewer than 10 students to the study abroad pool.