In the last ten years Ashland University has sent over 1,000 students to 38 locations on every continent except Antarctica. We encourage students to study abroad because they gain more than just a different educational experience. They're stepping into the larger world around them, testing classroom theories, using language and communication skills, and immersing themselves in an entirely different culture.
Here are some more great benefits of studying abroad:
-
Personal growth
When students step outside of their comfort zone they have to learn to adapt to their surroundings and think on their feet. This makes students more confident, mature, and independent and enhances problem solving and communication skills.
-
Curriculum enhancement
Students may choose to study subjects that are not available at Ashland University or they may take classes they wouldn't normally find at an American university.
-
Expanded worldview
Students typically learn more about their home country while studying abroad and come to understand their country's place in the world and their own place as individuals.
-
Preparation for a global career
No matter where a student ends up working when they graduate, there will be a time when they have to interact with people from another country or culture. Studying abroad prepares them for that. Students who are more culturally aware and have experience working with diverse groups can be more appealing to potential employers.
-
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
After students graduate and enter the workforce full-time, it is unlikely that they will have the opportunity to live abroad for long periods of time. They may have opportunities to travel abroad as a tourist, but it will be harder to get the experience that one gets from studying abroad for months at a time.
-
Living and Learning
The things that students learn in the classroom, such as foreign languages or history, can be immediately applied in the streets of the host country. Students get to live what they learn.
