Studying abroad is a unique opportunity that beckons the young traveler to grasp the college dream—living in a different country with loose supervision for half a year. College students are given the chance to study abroad, yet their decisions while abroad are not always what their parents intended.
According to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA), U.S. students studying abroad grew in the 2014-15 academic year by 2.9%. Students are continuously choosing to study abroad, yet upon their arrival, their host country has become a playground void of the constraints of a traditional learning environment. The Institute of International Education estimates that in 2016, 1 in 10 undergraduate students will study abroad. Large numbers of U.S. college students are choosing to travel for their education, but are they actually enriching their cultural experience or spending their time enjoying the loose liquor laws of Europe?
According to US News, Europe is the most popular destination for American college students with more than 53% choosing to parous the streets of Europe in the 2013-14 academic year. Europe, therefore, gives college students the opportunity to roam (or the opportunity to spend all their time in a local pub). Students are given the freedom to choose how to spend their semester—whether it be immersed in rich cultural history or feeding their party ego’s with a European bar-crawl. In an interview with a George Mason University student, Nicole Coughlin, a Florence study abroad program alumni, she states that she would go out, “At least twice a week, sometimes more.” Florence is a city in Europe known for some of the most famous artworks in history (along with hundreds of local bars offering discounted student prices).
Image, Annie Spratt
European travel destinations generate significant revenue from tourists—and according to the Institute of International Education, the 313,415 U.S. college students studying abroad around the world have grown into their own acute niche for business owners globally. U.S. college students that study in cities like Florence without a firm grasp on their opportunity can become the victim of a halted educational experience, therefore falling prey to cheap entertainment abroad.
According to NPR, once U.S. college students arrive in Florence, they leave behind their used beer bottles and take with them less cultural influence. “I only had classes three days a week, so it was easy to find time to do my schoolwork,” said Coughlin. There is a focus on education in study abroad programs, but once certain U.S. college students are set loose, taming their newfound freedom presents a challenge to educators. “To this day I’ll be doing something and I’ll remember how different it was when I was in Italy,” said Coughlin, “It was easy to get adjusted to their culture and lifestyle, and a year later I still find myself missing it.” U.S. college student’s cultural experience can be compared to finding the right pair of shoes: everyone has their own size, and some will get nicer shoes than others.
Cultural experiences trump international boozing when it comes to studying abroad—yet wrangling students in the right direction can prove to be a challenge. U.S. students studying abroad are only increasing, therefore, education remains a key factor in student experience—once they can move away from the party scene. Studying abroad is a unique opportunity that beckons the young traveler to grasp the college dream—living in a different country with loose supervision for half a year. College students are given the chance to study abroad, yet their decisions while abroad are not always what their parents intended.
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