Why Study Abroad?

It increases your employment potential: Employers are looking for graduates who have capitalized on opportunities to expand their horizons and who have an understanding of our  globalized society. Not only does studying abroad demonstrate you have a desire to know about the world, it also makes you more money. A study found that college graduates who study abroad make an average of $7,000 more per year than their classmates who did not.

It boosts your creative thinking and problem solving abilities: A recent study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology found that students who studies abroad performed better on test measuring their creative skills, as well as their ability to solve problems.

It can help you learn another language: The U.S. Department of Education says that studying abroad significantly improves the abilities of a study to communicate effectively in more than one language. Immersing yourself in a culture that speaks a different language than your own is often referenced as the best way to learn a language.

It increases your “soft skills” including adaptability and flexibility: Immersing yourself in another culture not only introduces you to that culture, but also prompts you to examine your own culture more carefully. That sort of forward thinking is appealing to employers and graduate schools alike. 

It helps you be a better student: Studying abroad enhances students’ interest in their academic studies. A U.S. Census Bureau study also found that more than 50 percent of students who study abroad go on to earn a post-graduate degree, compared to 9 percent of all American students.

This is just a sampling of the reasons it makes sense to study abroad!