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| Wells: Students who
study abroad take risks |
Grayson Mendenhall
Chancellor | Student Development Beat
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Most students
who are interested in studying abroad are risk takers, said Assistant
Program Director of the International Student Exchange and Study
Abroad Program Nancy W. Wells.
“You have to be able to deal with a high level of uncertainty,”
Wells said.
Uncertainty is just one worry among many that students must cope
with when studying abroad. However, most students usually have a
motivation that helps them overcome their fears.
Junior psychology major Dan A. Allmond, who studied in Karlsruche,
Germany in the spring of 2002, was hesitant at first about studying
in another country.
“I knew it would be really hard at first, but my interest in
the German language and my own heritage helped me overcome my fears
about going,” Allmond said.
Junior sociology major Demelza R. Newman and senior psychology major
Lynette C. Driver, who both studied at Keele University in England
in spring 2002, had more uncomplicated motivations for going abroad.
“I just wanted to try something new,” Newman said.
“I never get to travel anywhere, and it was a good opportunity
I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Driver said.
Regardless of their reasons for studying abroad, students who can
overcome the first turbulent weeks discover a new world.
“Learning where everything is and how to get around was hard
at first … but after a while I felt like a part of the population,”
Allmond said.
After settling in, Appalachian State University students start experiencing
the benefits of an international education.
“I enjoyed getting a firsthand view of another culture without
being just another tourist with a camera,” Allmond said.
“I really liked traveling around Europe and meeting people
with a different perspective on the world,” Driver said.
Catching a glimpse of American life is also possible all around
the world.
“I found it interesting to see more of the effects that America
has had on other countries … I was able to see how America
has made its way into almost every culture in the world,” Newman
said.
Upon returning to America, students who study abroad experience
the effects of their travel.
“I don’t try to rush through life as much, and I try to
appreciate things in my life more,” Allmond said.
“I feel more focused on what I want to study,” Newman
said.
Students who return from a semester abroad are often compelled to
go back in order to study more or start a career outside the United
States.
“I had never thought about living outside the U.S., but now
I see it as a possibility,” Driver said. |
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