Destination: Abroad

Over the past eight years, Harvard’s study abroad program has seen a dramatic expansion: what began with a small group of students who traveled overseas for a full semester has widened into a much larger component of the undergraduate population, most of whom spend a summer in a foreign country.

The number of participants in summer study abroad programs has increased 706 percent over the past eight years at Harvard. Current undergraduates attribute the spike in interest to an increase in opportunities for summer funding and concerns about missing campus life during the school year.

But a small, yet steadily increasing, number of undergraduates are willing to forfeit a semester in Cambridge for what they see as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—and they say the University has taken steps to facilitate what is often seen as an intimidating planning process.

OUTSIDE THE ‘HARVARD BUBBLE’

Although the number of students who choose to study abroad for a full semester has increased 70 percent in the last eight years, Harvard’s study abroad statistics pale in comparison to those of some peer institutions.

In the previous academic year, 180 Harvard students spent a semester abroad. Meanwhile, Brown sent 488 students abroad for a semester—a ten-year low for the school.

Several factors discourage Harvard students from studying in a foreign country, including the fear of missing opportunities on campus, the financing of a trip abroad, and the lack of awareness of available programs.

Students who chose to study abroad say that when they revealed their plans to travel outside the country, their friends bombarded them with concerns about the opportunities and experiences they would miss back on campus.

But Odelia S. Younge ’11 says she ultimately decided such concerns were not enough to deter her from spending a semester studying in Madrid.

“I decided I’m always missing something wherever I am, and so that’s not a reason not to go,” Younge says.

Dana E. Seesel ’11, who spent the fall semester in Barcelona, says she agrees that while students may miss life back in Cambridge, the experience spent abroad is nevertheless worthwhile.

“While you’re over there, you miss the people here, Harvard Square, and your professors,” Seesel says. “But now when you’re back, you miss Barcelona.”

Director of the Office of International Programs Catherine H. Winnie says that in recent years, faculty and administrators have encouraged this view.

“There was an emphasis on the importance of students getting direct experience living abroad and so students were encouraged to go abroad,” Winnie says.

Despite the University’s willingness to have students study abroad, several students say that those who want to travel have to be proactive and self-motivated when devising their plans.

“Harvard doesn’t discourage, but I wouldn’t say it always encourages us to go abroad,” Younge says.

The success of a student’s time in a foreign country is largely based upon the personal initiative taken before the trip, according to Alexandra M. Wilcox ’11.

“The programs are there but they are not publicized or encouraged, so many people don’t know about them,” Wilcox says.

FACILITATING THE TRIP

Winnie could not point to one specific change that has inspired more students to go abroad, but she notes a changing attitude on campus that encourages students to take advantage of the available opportunities.

The simplification of the paperwork and credit transfer processes has also aided student interest, according to Winnie.

“With the support of faculty and advisors, the Office of International Programs streamlined the process for students to get credit,” Winnie says.

The University has recently been able to increase financing for students studying abroad over the summer—formerly a major factor in students’ decisions about studying abroad.

Hamida B. Owusu ’10, who spent a semester at the University of Ghana, says that it was more financially feasible for her to study abroad during the semester, when her financial aid would directly transfer to subsidize the costs of her program.

Moreover, the 2008 donation of the David Rockefeller International Experience Grants provided Harvard additional funds to spend on summer study abroad.

“With the arrival of the David Rockefeller gift, it became possible for students to go abroad in the summer, when there is no financial aid,” Winnie says.

In a process often facilitated by the OIP, students who decide to go abroad are faced with many options regarding the use of their time: they can take courses for academic credit, work in a foreign laboratory, or research for a senior thesis.

The OIP keeps records of every program attended by a Harvard student, along with a thorough review by the student. Individuals may choose between a selection of Harvard programs and Harvard-approved programs that are run by other universities or organizations, or they may suggest their own programs.

“The list on our website is a historical list, time-tested programs that Harvard has used and had good reports on, and it has a wonderful array of options,” Winnie says.

Though many students say they were initially worried about adjusting their concentration requirements to fit into their study abroad schedules, they found their departments to be accommodating and flexible.

Younge, a History and Literature concentrator with a focus on America, says that she was surprised by the eagerness of her concentration advisor to help ensure that Younge could fit her study abroad into her four-year academic schedule.

“I couldn’t have asked for a nicer relationship, both when I was abroad and when I came back,” Younge says.

TAKING MORE TIME

Students say that the difference between an eight-week summer and a four-month semester consists of more than a variance in duration.

Studying abroad over the summer is substantially more popular than going overseas during the semester, but students who stayed abroad for a full semester say that they felt as though they made a substantive transition from being a long-term tourist to a resident of the city, integrated into the culture and the personality of their new home.

“After four months you really feel like you belong,” Seesel says.

Students taking a semester abroad are often able to explore far more than their host city. Wilcox, who stayed in Barcelona with Seesel for the same program, says that they traveled from their base in Barcelona to Rome, London, Istanbul, Morocco, and London—trips they certainly would not have taken had they been in Barcelona for a mere eight weeks.

Some study abroad programs include local travel as an integral part of the student’s experience. The Council on International Educational Exchange in Ghana—a Harvard-approved program—sponsors trips to different parts of the country every two to three weeks during a semester.

Students who undertook full semester trips away from Cambridge, despite the perceived drawbacks, unanimously say that their experiences were the highlights of their Harvard career.

“It really did re-invigorate me about why I’m studying, why I’m at Harvard, and where I want my studies to take me,” Owusu says.

—Staff writer Monica M. Dodge can be reached at mdodge@college.harvard.edu.