As a tour guide, I’ve been iterating this statistic at least two times every week to visiting families for the past couple of months: 45% of Amherst College juniors study abroad.
Surprisingly, the national average for studying abroad is about 1.5%! So Amherst students are actively seeking these opportunities to study and do research in different countries which is pretty exciting. As a rising junior, I had to really decide whether or not I wanted to study abroad. I have decided to study abroad and more specifically in Switzerland with a program specializing in international studies and multilateral diplomacy which I’m really interested in. While I haven’t actually gone abroad and seen what it’s like to study abroad in another country, hopefully this article will shed some light on how someone might decide to study abroad!
So obviously academics need to be considered when you’re thinking about this. This entails figuring out whether or not you can feasibly go abroad, meaning you can fulfill requirements for your major(s) if you can’t get credit for any of the courses you’ll be taking abroad and whether there are programs available to you specifically for majors that pertain to your academic experience. This means talking to your academic advisors and also Janna and/or Amanda in the study abroad office. I only have positive things to say about my interactions with them; both are so kind, helpful, and understanding! Also your academic advisor should be able to tell you what you might be able to receive credit for and plan for your next 2 years here at Amherst.
Something else I had to consider, which might not be relevant to everyone, was access to a pool. As a member of the swim team, I don’t want to spend too long out of the water, and I also just enjoy swimming so having an accessible pool was somewhat important. I spoke with an alum of the program I will be attending and she said that her host family actually arranged for her to play with a local basketball team to help her feel more at home (she was on the basketball team at her school). So this is definitely something student-athletes would want to take into consideration, but also anyone who enjoys staying active although opportunities to be active seem pretty available in most destinations around the world, whether it just be hiking or using a local gym.
Also important is actually deciding when you want to go abroad! Personally, I had to consider swimming as well for this. Swimming is a winter sport, so our season overlaps with both semesters, but most swimmers go abroad in the fall and miss the first bit of the season so not as to miss the more important, championship, part of our season. If you play a fall or spring sport, your choice seems a little bit more obvious because your season does not overlap with both semesters.
After you’ve figured out what programs are available to you, you should also consider where they are located. You might want to think about what kind of climate you’d want or if you’d be ok going somewhere with a culture you’re not that familiar with and might even be very different from that which you’re used to.
Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list of all the things that you should take into account when you start thinking about studying abroad, but hopefully it gets you started! Best of luck!