How much do I really need to study abroad?
May 21, 2017 11:57 AM Subscribe
I am a student in an Area Studies field, where study abroad is really important. But I'm not really sure how much I want to spend long stretches of time halfway around the world from my home. I was hoping that maybe someone with experience in this area of academia could give me some advice?
I am in the middle of an undergraduate program in "X Studies", where X denotes a certain region of the world. I am extremely happy doing what I am doing, have a demonstrably strong command of the languages and participate in a lot of research, but study abroad seems like a really important component of being able to do anything in this field. The problem is that I don't really feel like leaving for a semester or full year, or even really for more than a month or two. Mostly I would really miss my partner, and even on short trips I've had a horrible time dealing with that. My professors are putting some pressure on me to study abroad as much as I can, so I feel very conflicted and like I'm not doing enough.
I've been trying to compensate by going on shorter trips. This summer, I was invited on two: one for research, and another to present at a conference and maybe do a few weeks in a language program.
All my funding got used up paying for expenses on the first program, so if I want to go again it'll be on my own dime. I could cough up the $1k or so myself, but then I'll be all anxious about money the following year and pretty much broke. The whole thing exhausts me.
I know this sounds ridiculous, because I ought to just be happy with the first trip, but I'm so afraid I'm not doing enough, and that in the end I won't end up with enough abroad experience. So I was hoping that maybe someone in an Area Studies field or a field involving foreign language/literature could weigh in on whether it would be worth it to suck it up and go for the experience, or whether I should just stay home and save up for next year.
I am in the middle of an undergraduate program in "X Studies", where X denotes a certain region of the world. I am extremely happy doing what I am doing, have a demonstrably strong command of the languages and participate in a lot of research, but study abroad seems like a really important component of being able to do anything in this field. The problem is that I don't really feel like leaving for a semester or full year, or even really for more than a month or two. Mostly I would really miss my partner, and even on short trips I've had a horrible time dealing with that. My professors are putting some pressure on me to study abroad as much as I can, so I feel very conflicted and like I'm not doing enough.
I've been trying to compensate by going on shorter trips. This summer, I was invited on two: one for research, and another to present at a conference and maybe do a few weeks in a language program.
All my funding got used up paying for expenses on the first program, so if I want to go again it'll be on my own dime. I could cough up the $1k or so myself, but then I'll be all anxious about money the following year and pretty much broke. The whole thing exhausts me.
I know this sounds ridiculous, because I ought to just be happy with the first trip, but I'm so afraid I'm not doing enough, and that in the end I won't end up with enough abroad experience. So I was hoping that maybe someone in an Area Studies field or a field involving foreign language/literature could weigh in on whether it would be worth it to suck it up and go for the experience, or whether I should just stay home and save up for next year.
What are your goals when you finish the program? What are your professors' goals for you during a study abroad? Can you speak with recent alumni or older students who have done study abroad to see what they got out of it? If studying abroad (presumably in X region) is a de facto requirement for jobs/higher studies in this field, and you do not study abroad, are you hurting your chances of getting a job/advancing in your field?
As someone who majored in comparative literature (French/English), I do regret my decision not to study abroad in college. I don't think it hurt my career path, and I've gotten the opportunity to travel quite a bit for leisure and for work, but if I had been planning a further career in French literature studies, I would have pushed myself a little harder to make it work.
The thing with study abroad is that it forces you to get out of your shell. Short trips don't really count -- it's great that you got to present at a conference and all, but the whole point of studying abroad is immersion in a different culture. You can't do that with less than a month, and ideally should be at least 3-4 months. Your concerns about finances and being homesick/missing people are valid, but I encourage you to look for ways around those barriers rather than using them as excuses to stay comfortable.
posted by basalganglia at 12:27 PM on May 21, 2017 [8 favorites]
As someone who majored in comparative literature (French/English), I do regret my decision not to study abroad in college. I don't think it hurt my career path, and I've gotten the opportunity to travel quite a bit for leisure and for work, but if I had been planning a further career in French literature studies, I would have pushed myself a little harder to make it work.
The thing with study abroad is that it forces you to get out of your shell. Short trips don't really count -- it's great that you got to present at a conference and all, but the whole point of studying abroad is immersion in a different culture. You can't do that with less than a month, and ideally should be at least 3-4 months. Your concerns about finances and being homesick/missing people are valid, but I encourage you to look for ways around those barriers rather than using them as excuses to stay comfortable.
posted by basalganglia at 12:27 PM on May 21, 2017 [8 favorites]
Would you study Agriculture without spending a good chunk of time on a farm? Or Chemistry without spending a good chunk of time in a lab? If this is to be your field of interest and expertise, your professors may be right.
You don't need to go through a school program. You can go independently (in my experience, that's cheaper) and find something to do on your own. WWOOF, volunteer, get a job, whatever makes sense for you. You can even save up to do it after you graduate. It's the showing up and being there and getting involved with something long enough to feel settled and like you really have a feel for the place that matters.
Give yourself permission to have a blast.
posted by aniola at 12:32 PM on May 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
You don't need to go through a school program. You can go independently (in my experience, that's cheaper) and find something to do on your own. WWOOF, volunteer, get a job, whatever makes sense for you. You can even save up to do it after you graduate. It's the showing up and being there and getting involved with something long enough to feel settled and like you really have a feel for the place that matters.
Give yourself permission to have a blast.
posted by aniola at 12:32 PM on May 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
I think some of it depends on what you plan to do career-wise. There are definitely a lot of fields where not having significant in-country experience would be a major mark against you, when applying for jobs (for example, if you were in Middle Eastern Studies and applying for a job at a research institute or something, not having spent any real time in the Middle East would definitely count against you). Also, unless you have some sort of other cultural connection to the area you're studying, I'm not sure how you can fully understand it without being genuinely immersed in the culture for at least a few months.
posted by armadillo1224 at 12:38 PM on May 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by armadillo1224 at 12:38 PM on May 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
I would agree that this depends in part on what you want to do with your degree. If this is the start of a career, then it's going to look odd to future employers or to grad schools if you haven't spent time in the area where you're ostensibly a specialist.
If this is a degree you are picking up in the spirit of a general liberal arts education and you don't anticipate building directly on X Studies for your career or future education, then I wouldn't worry about not having the time abroad. (e.g. you can probably get into a law school or work in some sort of business field with an area studies degree, and they won't bat an eyelid at your lack of actual foreign experience--unless part of your pitch is that you can help them understand X area.)
You can also go abroad after graduation--that's what I did, since I really didn't want to miss out on a semester at my terrific undergrad institution.
posted by col_pogo at 1:26 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
If this is a degree you are picking up in the spirit of a general liberal arts education and you don't anticipate building directly on X Studies for your career or future education, then I wouldn't worry about not having the time abroad. (e.g. you can probably get into a law school or work in some sort of business field with an area studies degree, and they won't bat an eyelid at your lack of actual foreign experience--unless part of your pitch is that you can help them understand X area.)
You can also go abroad after graduation--that's what I did, since I really didn't want to miss out on a semester at my terrific undergrad institution.
posted by col_pogo at 1:26 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Seconding what everyone else is saying: what's your end goal for focusing on X studies and gaining proficiency in language Y? If it's to work in that region or be a specialist on that area, you're going to need significant experience living/working/studying in that region the look credible. But if it's the equivalent of majoring in English or history and planning to go to business school later or getting a job in advertising, it's probably fine to skip.
posted by whitewall at 2:12 PM on May 21, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by whitewall at 2:12 PM on May 21, 2017 [3 favorites]
>Mostly I would really miss my partner, and even on short trips I've had a horrible time dealing with that.
I don't think someone needs to be in Area Studies to point out the following:
1) Don't ever curtail your career for a wo/man unless you are a) in a permanent, life-long partnership; b) you are both agreed on whatever sacrifice one partner is making; c) there is quid-pro-quo.
Neither B nor C seems to be in play here. It sounds like you just don't want to go because you'll miss him or her.
If you are this dependent on another person, it honestly is not healthy for you, and probably not for the relationship either. It's OK to go and be miserable. You will survive; nobody has ever died of misery. Tough it out because making the best of your opportunities and maxing out your academic achievements is actually your job right now.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:29 PM on May 21, 2017 [29 favorites]
I don't think someone needs to be in Area Studies to point out the following:
1) Don't ever curtail your career for a wo/man unless you are a) in a permanent, life-long partnership; b) you are both agreed on whatever sacrifice one partner is making; c) there is quid-pro-quo.
Neither B nor C seems to be in play here. It sounds like you just don't want to go because you'll miss him or her.
If you are this dependent on another person, it honestly is not healthy for you, and probably not for the relationship either. It's OK to go and be miserable. You will survive; nobody has ever died of misery. Tough it out because making the best of your opportunities and maxing out your academic achievements is actually your job right now.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:29 PM on May 21, 2017 [29 favorites]
I was an area studies person as an undergrad and now am a professor in a discipline with a strong involvement in area studies.
In any future career people are going to not respect you for not having any in-country experience. Hands down. It will be a huge mark against you in any job.
posted by k8t at 4:49 PM on May 21, 2017 [4 favorites]
In any future career people are going to not respect you for not having any in-country experience. Hands down. It will be a huge mark against you in any job.
posted by k8t at 4:49 PM on May 21, 2017 [4 favorites]
From a slightly different background, I teach English overseas, and it is extremely apparent to me which of my students have had to live in English somewhere outside where I am living now and which of my students have only ever learned English at school.
The difference is marked not just in terms of making fewer verb-grammar mistakes, but also in terms of having a larger vocabulary, understanding etymology and being able to create new words easily, being faster to answer questions, being more aware of slang, being far better at pronunciation, and even finishing homework (which for these students is very easy).
Some local-only students may have better grammar in writing, but sound stilted, like they have only ever used a dictionary to pick up new words. For my teen and young adult students the difference is even more shocking - the students who have lived abroad don't want subtitles when we watch a video in class, use their smartphones in English only, and generally can teach themselves using English-only media whatever it is they want to know. They also excel in subjects only taught in English at their schools, like biology and world history, and don't need to waste time translating words like "photosynthesis" or "Renaissance" into their first language (which is not even close to English).
If you are not 100% fluent in the language of Place X and this place would force you to use the language to survive in some way - an all-Language X class, grocery shopping and dining out in Language X, even arguing with a neighbour or the electric company that sent you the wrong bill in Language X - then you need to consider how not going will cripple your ability to do meaningful and useful work there/in that language later in life. Remember too that media in Language X will be far cheaper there; things like Language-X magazines and books which might cost the earth or simply be unavailable at home will probably only be a few dollars.
Good luck!
posted by mdonley at 5:32 PM on May 21, 2017
The difference is marked not just in terms of making fewer verb-grammar mistakes, but also in terms of having a larger vocabulary, understanding etymology and being able to create new words easily, being faster to answer questions, being more aware of slang, being far better at pronunciation, and even finishing homework (which for these students is very easy).
Some local-only students may have better grammar in writing, but sound stilted, like they have only ever used a dictionary to pick up new words. For my teen and young adult students the difference is even more shocking - the students who have lived abroad don't want subtitles when we watch a video in class, use their smartphones in English only, and generally can teach themselves using English-only media whatever it is they want to know. They also excel in subjects only taught in English at their schools, like biology and world history, and don't need to waste time translating words like "photosynthesis" or "Renaissance" into their first language (which is not even close to English).
If you are not 100% fluent in the language of Place X and this place would force you to use the language to survive in some way - an all-Language X class, grocery shopping and dining out in Language X, even arguing with a neighbour or the electric company that sent you the wrong bill in Language X - then you need to consider how not going will cripple your ability to do meaningful and useful work there/in that language later in life. Remember too that media in Language X will be far cheaper there; things like Language-X magazines and books which might cost the earth or simply be unavailable at home will probably only be a few dollars.
Good luck!
posted by mdonley at 5:32 PM on May 21, 2017
While I agree with previous posters that you should probably tough it out for a semester, especially while you are still young (I'm going to assume you're young since you said undergrad), you can probably see from my posting history that I'd be quite the hypocrit to do so. (Although I did spend a whole year in Japan before that without any problems, and that latter episode may have had physical causes I cannot prove anymore.)
I have a bachelor's degree in Japanese Studies and the name of the university I did my exchange year at opened so many doors. I also have MUCH better grasp of the language than my classmates who didn't get any abroad placement.
That said, I know people who studied abroad and learned nothing and people who couldn't study abroad (for financial or health reasons) who speak much better than those who went abroad and just partied with the other exchange students.
What you could do if you really don't want to go abroad - and this will depend on your actual field of study - is to look for a community of country/area X close to you and try to get involved there. Look for internships at companies from area X where you can use the language, and really, really work on your language abilities. Find a language exchange partner. Immerse yourself in the language. Become really good. Get a certificate if you can. Then, maybe, when hiring managers give you a chance despite the lack of longer stays in your resume, you can make up for that by a good reference from your internship and your impressive language abilities.
That said, it might not be enough. Hiring managers might put your resume straight in the trash, no matter how much you play up your conferences and language abilities. But that could happen for everyone. (I once had a hiring manager refuse me because he didn't believe I could actually speak Japanese well even after my year abroad. The reasoning was that I only had a bachelor's degree and not yet any certificate from Japanese Language Proficiency Test (which as a test says nothing about your actual ability to use Japanese) and he simply refused to even try me. In retrospect, he probably didn't know Japanese either and was full of sh*t, but that doesn't help you when you need a job.)
posted by LoonyLovegood at 9:42 PM on May 21, 2017
I have a bachelor's degree in Japanese Studies and the name of the university I did my exchange year at opened so many doors. I also have MUCH better grasp of the language than my classmates who didn't get any abroad placement.
That said, I know people who studied abroad and learned nothing and people who couldn't study abroad (for financial or health reasons) who speak much better than those who went abroad and just partied with the other exchange students.
What you could do if you really don't want to go abroad - and this will depend on your actual field of study - is to look for a community of country/area X close to you and try to get involved there. Look for internships at companies from area X where you can use the language, and really, really work on your language abilities. Find a language exchange partner. Immerse yourself in the language. Become really good. Get a certificate if you can. Then, maybe, when hiring managers give you a chance despite the lack of longer stays in your resume, you can make up for that by a good reference from your internship and your impressive language abilities.
That said, it might not be enough. Hiring managers might put your resume straight in the trash, no matter how much you play up your conferences and language abilities. But that could happen for everyone. (I once had a hiring manager refuse me because he didn't believe I could actually speak Japanese well even after my year abroad. The reasoning was that I only had a bachelor's degree and not yet any certificate from Japanese Language Proficiency Test (which as a test says nothing about your actual ability to use Japanese) and he simply refused to even try me. In retrospect, he probably didn't know Japanese either and was full of sh*t, but that doesn't help you when you need a job.)
posted by LoonyLovegood at 9:42 PM on May 21, 2017
I wasn't an area studies student. I spent a semester abroad.
It was a sad, tough time, mainly due to a chronic illness. Still, I count it among the best times of my life. I loved discovering a new place (and its language). And meeting some lovely people.
posted by actionstations at 1:16 AM on May 22, 2017
It was a sad, tough time, mainly due to a chronic illness. Still, I count it among the best times of my life. I loved discovering a new place (and its language). And meeting some lovely people.
posted by actionstations at 1:16 AM on May 22, 2017
I think there is some difference whether you are an Italian major at a liberal arts college or an international relations Arabic major who wants to work for the government in terms of how much this matters for your future career.
But my advice is the same: GO. Go go go go go. Go and make new friends. Go and embarrass yourself. Go and eat some great food and then cook it for your friends stateside. Go and learn.
Doesn't your college have a study-abroad option where your tuition and fees can be paid toward the international university? Perhaps that will be cheaper than self-financing a two-week trip on your own dime, ironically. Schedule a meeting with the study abroad people and advocate for yourself fiercely. Or look for grants. I got one from the German government, for example-- my family and I could never have afforded it otherwise.
No one I know regrets their study abroad experience, even the people who had a really rough go of it.
Also-- because it seems that the only con would be missing your partner-- please please save these worries for when you are in a life-long committed relationship and are truly between a rock and a hard place deciding between your life and career and the happiness of your family. My college boyfriend went to Namibia for a few months and it was so hard and I was so lonely and it probably drove us apart. But I grew up that summer. One of the most important of my young life. We broke up three years later anyway-- because he was my college boyfriend and that's just how these things go.
Say you stay with this person forever. Wouldn't you rather stay with them forever *and* have had an awesome semester in Istanbul/Shanghai/Madrid?
posted by athirstforsalt at 1:33 AM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
But my advice is the same: GO. Go go go go go. Go and make new friends. Go and embarrass yourself. Go and eat some great food and then cook it for your friends stateside. Go and learn.
Doesn't your college have a study-abroad option where your tuition and fees can be paid toward the international university? Perhaps that will be cheaper than self-financing a two-week trip on your own dime, ironically. Schedule a meeting with the study abroad people and advocate for yourself fiercely. Or look for grants. I got one from the German government, for example-- my family and I could never have afforded it otherwise.
No one I know regrets their study abroad experience, even the people who had a really rough go of it.
Also-- because it seems that the only con would be missing your partner-- please please save these worries for when you are in a life-long committed relationship and are truly between a rock and a hard place deciding between your life and career and the happiness of your family. My college boyfriend went to Namibia for a few months and it was so hard and I was so lonely and it probably drove us apart. But I grew up that summer. One of the most important of my young life. We broke up three years later anyway-- because he was my college boyfriend and that's just how these things go.
Say you stay with this person forever. Wouldn't you rather stay with them forever *and* have had an awesome semester in Istanbul/Shanghai/Madrid?
posted by athirstforsalt at 1:33 AM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
Don't ever curtail your career for a wo/man unless you are a) in a permanent, life-long partnership; b) you are both agreed on whatever sacrifice one partner is making; c) there is quid-pro-quo.
This x 500 billion. "I'll miss my partner" is another way of saying "I don't want to leave my comfort zone." That's what makes study abroad such a valuable experience - not being able to hold a loved one's hand when you look at a restaurant menu that you can't read or when you can't figure out the subway. And i agree that it's not healthy if you can't be away from your partner because if you stay together, you will have to be apart from time to time. If your relationship can't survive a semester apart, it's unlikely to survive the test of time. I realize the money issue is tough but if you can make it work, I really think you should. It's really the best time in your life to go abroad, even considering the money.
posted by kat518 at 3:47 PM on May 22, 2017
This x 500 billion. "I'll miss my partner" is another way of saying "I don't want to leave my comfort zone." That's what makes study abroad such a valuable experience - not being able to hold a loved one's hand when you look at a restaurant menu that you can't read or when you can't figure out the subway. And i agree that it's not healthy if you can't be away from your partner because if you stay together, you will have to be apart from time to time. If your relationship can't survive a semester apart, it's unlikely to survive the test of time. I realize the money issue is tough but if you can make it work, I really think you should. It's really the best time in your life to go abroad, even considering the money.
posted by kat518 at 3:47 PM on May 22, 2017
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If you can afford it or get a scholarship for it, I think that spending at least six months in-country is important. But if you definitely can't afford it or you have that big an aversion to going abroad for so long, then don't let anyone pressure you. If you don't feel like you're missing out by not going, then what does it matter?
posted by kinddieserzeit at 12:26 PM on May 21, 2017