Elon University is ranked ninth by the Princeton Review for its study abroad program, and students certainly take advantage of it. According to the university’s Global Education Center (GEC), 72 percent of Elon’s 2014 graduating class studied abroad at least once.
Compared with a national average of less than 10 percent, this earned Elon a No. 1 ranking in the Institute of International Education’s 2014 Open Doors report for the number of students who studied abroad in the 2012-2013 school year.
This fall, more than 400 students engaged in study abroad programs, doubling the figure recorded for fall semester international study in 2009. This winter, more than 700 registered to study abroad for January, in countries such as Costa Rica, India and Ireland.
Though Elon’s numbers for international study continue to grow, there is still a stark contrast between figures for semester programs and Winter Term programs. Both options have differences in their advantages, disadvantages and impacts on students.
Senior Morgan Kimbel knows firsthand that Winter Term and semester study abroad experiences are not created equal — she’s done both. Fall 2013, she studied abroad in London at the Foundation for International Education, one of three Elon Centers Abroad. This winter she studied abroad again, this time in New Zealand with the adventure-based ecotourism program.
Each study abroad program varies in time and place, as well as impact.
“I left my Winter Term experience in New Zealand feeling like I was capable of anything,” Kimbel said. “This trip made me a stronger person and made me closer to the people who I had these experiences with.”
The GEC describes Winter Term study abroad courses as “intensive three- to four-week courses … taught by Elon faculty.”
More than 30 of these courses are available each year, and class sizes range from 16-30 students, all of whom participate in a 1-credit seminar course together during the preceding fall semester.
The preparation and camaraderie developed during that time allow groups to hit the ground running as they explore a particular part of the world over a short period of time.
“This course pushed me outside my comfort zone [by] doing adventurous activities with people I did not know well prior to the trip,” Kimbel said.
One of the major attractions of a Winter Term study abroad is that each day is a bit different, and all are busy.
This is often reflected in the cost of Winter Term courses, which ranges from $4,000-$9,000. A schedule full of adventures often requires students to incur high costs of transportation, dining, lodging and class activities that accumulate quickly on such a fast-paced course that often includes travel to multiple cities or countries, along with additional meals and personal costs.
In Kimbel’s case, the course led students and faculty all around New Zealand. During this time she developed such a passion for the country that she wants to go back for a longer stretch of time.
“I definitely would have gone there for a semester,” Kimbel said. “I loved the adventure-based elements of the country’s culture, and I think it would have been a wonderful experience to spend a whole semester there instead of only three weeks.”
She said a longer time in New Zealand would be valuable, but it would not replace her time in London. She experienced more significant growth during that fall semester abroad.
“My experience there taught me so much about myself,” Kimbel said. “Spending a whole semester in a place had a longer-lasting effect on me, while studying abroad for a Winter Term changed me in a short period of time.”
This analysis, reflection and introspection are part of what the GEC wants students to get out of study abroad programs. At a school like Elon where most students approach international study as a question of “where” rather than “why,” this is an important concept to keep in mind.
The GEC’s answer on its website is long, but the part Kimbel said resonated with her says, “Study abroad gives you the chance to look at life through a different perspective, to learn more about colorful individuals and the idiosyncrasies of cultures. You’ll be surprised how much you learn about yourself, too.”
Students have to decide how they can continue to benefit from a valuable experience abroad in the rest of their time at Elon and after. Kimbel may have figured it out.
“[London] truly grabbed hold of my heart,” Kimbel said. “In fact, I have chosen to move to London for a year of grad school after I graduate in the spring.”
Kimbel’s experience living in London has helped shape her post-graduate path. While she is unable to decide which country she liked best, she found that the semester abroad gave her more opportunity for long-lasting growth and connection to a new country.
In that way, studying abroad is very similar to attending Elon. Not only is the experience what students make it, but also the more time and energy students invest in the experience, the more they have to gain.