Studying Abroad is an opportunity that most students, if not all, should embark on at least once in their life. Travels of this nature can create a lasting impact on a student’s studies and their worldliness overall. This attribute is generally seen as attractive by prospective employers.

An opportunity like this is one that should be considered as soon as possible to optimize the options available. Steven Ferst, the Executive Director of the Center for Global Engagement at the College of Staten Island, believes giving yourself time is key. “If you start thinking about it immediately, your first [or] second semester, it gives you much more time to research, plan, and consider; plus bring together funding for where you want to go,” he said. “When you really need to start taking action is usually about six months prior to going and during that time you want to look at deadlines, you want to make sure that you’re putting in those applications. You’re really getting your ducks lined up, so to speak, so that you are ready to go as it all unfolds.”

Two major considerations in studying abroad is the time of year that you choose to embark on it, and a program is very flexible. There are programs that last a few weeks throughout the winter and summer, and others that span the duration of an entire semester. Each format can be beneficial in their own ways, although, generally, a rule of thumb is: the more time the better.

Ferst added, “A student who spends a semester abroad or even a year for that matter, tends to be able to pull the most out of the experience. And I don’t mean seeing the most waterfalls and the most discotheques, I mean absorbing the most out of the culture and becoming adaptive to the culture, more culturally competent.”

Cultural competency is broadly the idea of a person’s ability to understand and interact with cultures outside of their own in a respectful way, this ensures cultural and societal differences are accounted for in everyday interactions. This degree of understanding comes from interacting with the culture enough to see beyond the initial beauty of a country abroad, rather, beginning to understand the underlying societal issues and forming connections that highlight the authentic lifestyle. “It’s a year’s long process to be fully culturally competent in a new culture – could be two to three years. That [semester-long] period at least gives you a start on that,” said Ferst. “The longer the better but I don’t want to discourage students, [for them to say] ‘well maybe I shouldn’t go.’ Students certainly should take those experiences where they have the opportunity; a summer semester, a winter intersession. If those are what fit into your programming academically, socially and financially, that’s where I would head.”

Mohamed Tabrani, Director of International Programs and Study Abroad at Brooklyn College, formerly at Queen’s College, views the impact of studying abroad in a similar light.

Generally when students go to study abroad offices for guidance on international programs, the first thing above all else that is considered is what they are studying. “Every study abroad [program] has information sessions, or one-on-one advising sessions with students where they can meet, talk about themselves a little bit to the advisor: what are their interests, what’s your major, where do they see themselves in five years, and try to link those dots.” Tabrani added,

“We can find courses in almost every discipline in almost every country, but the question then becomes, what is it about [for example,] studying organic chemistry that is interesting in Australia versus the UK versus Colombia versus Peru,” Ferst added, “I would direct them to locations that are more interesting to study rather than [a location where] it’s not as intense and there’s no real issue to pick at.”

Some additional things that are considered as the process narrows down are the language skills people have, previous travel history and how uncomfortable a person is willing to get. “I always advise: go off the beaten path as far as you can and still be comfortable,” Ferst explains, “If you want something more exotic, something that stretches your brain a little more, let’s send you to a place where the culture would really be a very different set of values that you’re used to.”

Doing extensive, well-rounded research can be pivotal to your success abroad.

When discussing the different areas of study possible when studying abroad, it becomes clear that there are so many options for students of all fields, to have a successful time abroad.

Ferst adds, “The advantage of studying abroad in the sciences is, while you don’t have those differences, it’s a strong paradigm field, everyone in the science believes the same thing, with a few outliers. Physics classes, engineering classes, even mathematics classes are often taught from different perspectives [and approaches] but the underlying theories are the same.” – Steven Ferst

The choice of where you stay for your study abroad program can also play a significant role in your overall experience. Mostly, the options are between a homestay, where you stay with a local family that houses and feeds you, or a dormitory, where you are living independently, more often than not with roommates. “A well-placed homestay will, in most cases, endear you to that family [and] build a lifelong relationship [which] often really allows you to see the inner workings of how a culture works.” Ferst explains, adding “A residence hall will bring you in contact with many, many more students, possibly local, possibly from around the world. A homestay may have a little more requirements: you’ve got to be in by a certain time, you have to follow certain cultural rules. In residence halls, you don’t have that but you also don’t have someone making you breakfast.”

One of the main challenges that students can expect to face when embarking on international programs is overall the expense. “When they consider studying abroad, finances are definitely the biggest problem our CUNY students face. Besides the tuition for the credit the student’s going to get, there is flight, housing, personal expenses, food and local transportation that the students need to budget for.” Tabrani said

When reflecting on his own experience studying abroad, he spoke highly of how it impacted him. Not having expected to study abroad at all, his advisor suggested that studying abroad could help get his life together. He chose to study abroad in Israel as it is significant to his heritage. “It changed the course of my life. What it did for me in particular was teach me a little bit about how other people view the world and view their personal circumstances.” Ferst added, “It gave me a sense of ‘Oh, there’s a big, big, big world with lots of issues that different people approach in different ways.’ Most of what we do is not so significant and most of us are not so special in all of it. That tended to set the course for my life, [and] allowed me to approach things in a way that most others don’t.”

Like Ferst, Tabrani also had his own study abroad experience that dramatically impacted his career’s trajectory. As a, then, business and management major during his undergraduate studies, he participated in a faculty-led study abroad program to Japan because he wanted to experience a completely new country that he may not have had the chance to visit again. “Everything that I had in mind until that year was challenged living in Japan because they do things extremely differently and that growth, that learning, just opened my eyes to how wonderful the world that we live in is.” He added, “[You’ll] be somewhere totally different when you’ll be exposed and learn some things that you would never have a chance to learn in a classroom.”

When looking at the impact that studying abroad has on CUNY students it becomes clear how significant it can be. “In general, our study abroad students leave with higher GPAs and come back with higher GPAs [and] in general become more interesting people. They tend to really be able to hone these skills to be able to explain themselves in ways other’s can’t and that gets them ahead academically, in job searches, in careers,” said Ferst.

“I think the challenge is getting over your own hesitation, your own fear of going. ‘What’s it going to mean for my life? Am I going to miss gatherings?’ The fear of missing out on what’s here?” Ferst said. “I wish people had more FOMO about going, the fear of missing out on studying abroad.”