Despite high tuition, a meager economy and concerns over safety, college students across the nation opt to study abroad now more than ever, according to a recent study.
The Institute of International Education reported there were 4.4 percent more students overseas in 2001-'02 than 2000-'01, and the number of students in foreign countries has doubled since 1991. They also reported UW-Madison ranked sixth in the nation with 1,340 students abroad in 2001-'02.
According to the release, more students are choosing to study abroad for a shorter period of time than before, sometimes only for a few weeks.
While the study claimed that shorter stays are becoming increasingly popular, UW-Madison boasts 14.9 percent of students study abroad for an entire year, almost double the national average.
Steven Hutchinson, a professor in the Spanish and Portuguese department, said there are very few programs through UW-Madison that only last several weeks, and one semester programs are the most popular.
Hutchinson expressed the belief that many students do not study abroad for an entire year because it makes graduating in four years increasingly difficult. Many of the students in the program are double majors, and while studying in Spain certainly contributes toward a Spanish major, it does not present the same opportunity for the additional major.
Although pursuing a two semester-long program is not as popular, Hutchinson greatly recommends staying in the foreign country for a year.
\Two semesters is considerably better ... in the first semester they're still getting used to it, they're barely getting a grasp of spoken language in its living setting,"" he said.
Tim Delbridge, a UW-Madison senior, spent last spring in the Netherlands. While he does not speak Dutch, he went to gain an international perspective on the world. He said short, week-long programs do not offer students the same opportunities to students that longer stays do.
However, not everyone reached this common?? conclusion. Vito Roppo, an Italian major and UW-Madison senior, plans to study abroad in Bologna, Italy this spring. Although he preferred a longer stay while immersed in the culture and language, he said that studying abroad for merely a few weeks could be the right choice for some students who have never left the country.
""There is something to be said for culture shock. Being in a different culture where everyone speaks a different language ... each culture has its own assumption and some people find it difficult to live under different assumptions,"" he said.
