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July 26, 2006

China's lure

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Courtesy of Emily Flora

Thousands of American college students study abroad each year -- jet-setting to countries as far as South Africa and as near as Mexico. The experience varies from a week or two of intense study and travel to a year spent in one or more countries. No matter what the time period, students usually return bursting with stories of their adventures and how much their experiences have changed them. (I had my own stint overseas in Moscow in 1997 and again in 1998, so I have some firsthand knowledge of the topic. Indeed, my experience was life-changing and amazing, however cliche it might seem.)

Anyway, over time the destinations have strayed farther away from Western Europe, the traditional hotspot for American students. Thirty-nine percent of American students go somewhere besides Europe, based on a recent study. (For more numbers, see the latest figures from the Institute of International Education.) China is fast becoming popular among students, because of its economic weight and the opportunities it offers for future career advancement -- even though the language can be a daunting challenge.

Recently, 17 Radford University students traveled to China for a month with faculty members on a fellowship that a university benefactor has helped to fund. One of our college writers, Emily Flora, wrote about her experiences in this week's CRAM section. She has a great couple of lines about the difference between the way Americans approach people from different countries and the way others approach us.

I wrote about the trip in May, and the students wrote about their experiences on Live Journal, where you can find more photographs from the trip.

Follow up on my earlier comment: The Stanford-in-Moscow program I attended (and adored) was discontinued because of lack of interest and high overhead costs. At the same time, a Beijing program opened, with much more interest. After doing a search to verify the above, I happily found that the Moscow program reopened in fall 2005.

Comments

# 1

[October 14, 2007 7:03 PM]

Don Li : →http://www.mytata.net/


How could I get in touch with some of these students?

Thank you.

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Mug of Greg Esposito

Rhode Island native and Virginia Tech reporter Greg Esposito posts on everyday college life, trends and issues affecting the 35,000-plus students in the New River Valley and beyond.

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Mug of Tim Thornton

Tim Thornton, who is old enough to have children attending college, is still taking classes and is still fascinated by colleges, the students who populate them and the bureaucrats who operate them. His reporting beat is Radford University.

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Mug of Anna Mallory

West Virginia native Anna Mallory blogs on student life topics at Virginia Tech, Radford University, New River Valley Community College -- and beyond.

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