Enrollment hits all-time high for studying abroad
Next semester, a record number of Syracuse University students will be leaving campus and calling a new country home.
‘Open Doors 2003,’ an annual report about international education, recently announced that there has been a national increase in the number of students studying abroad this past year, and SU is no exception. This year’s recruitment is at its highest rate ever as 86 more students applied to the Division of International Programs Abroad than last year.
DIPA was ranked fifth in the nation last year for best study abroad program by U.S. News and World Report, said James Buschman, associate director of recruitment, admissions and student services for DIPA.
SU’s study abroad academic centers are located in England, Spain, Italy, France, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe. Approximately 947 students were involved with DIPA last year, including students from more than 150 universities across the country.
Buschman encourages students to have an interest in studying abroad because it offers an opportunity for individuals to learn about the world around them.
‘We [Americans] don’t know much about other places in the world,’ Buschman said, ‘It is one world for all of us and we need to understand it.’
The most popular study abroad center is located in London, where many students in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications apply.
Melissa Pastore, a junior broadcast journalism and policy studies major, will be getting some hands-on experience next semester as she plans to intern in London.
‘[Studying abroad] is a different kind of learning where you’re learning [about] different cultures and it’s more hands-on,’ Pastore said.
The study abroad programs are offered during fall and spring semester, as well as during the summer. Leaving the United States and living in a whole new environment can be overwhelming at times, but for many students, the study abroad experience seems to be a positive one.
Meghan Compernolle, a junior education major, is currently learning what life is like in a completely different culture. Compernolle is studying in Florence, Italy, this semester and highly recommends the DIPA program.
‘I would definitely recommend going abroad. It is such an amazing experience. Florence itself is an amazing city with so much to see and do but there are also so many opportunities to travel. The school offers so many field trips, which make it really easy to see Italy,’ Compernolle said.
As she is completing her program in Italy, Compernolle noted the opportunities studying abroad has afforded her.
‘I just felt like this was an amazing opportunity that would allow me to see and do things that I might not otherwise be able to do,’ she said. ‘It is hard at times because Italy is so different than America and I do get homesick but overall I am seriously having the time of my life and I would definitely recommend going.’
