There’s only three weeks of school left, and with hectic schedules there doesn’t seem to be time for anything! I asked Duke’s Global Academic Advisors all the questions that you need to know but haven’t gotten around to asking so you can begin to think about what to make of your study abroad experience.
1.) What are the main differences between study abroad during fall and spring?
There are many factors that go into a student’s decision between study abroad in fall or spring semesters. From the student perspective, we hear about the importance of social connections (if you go abroad in a different semester than most of your friends, you could go a full year without seeing them), career development (interview opportunities for summer internships and post-graduate jobs tend to be skewed towards spring semester), and curricular considerations (some departments offer core courses in the spring, assuming that juniors will be away in the fall). Over time, this has resulted in the majority of Duke students choosing to study in fall vs. spring. We’d like to encourage students to step back, though, and consider why study abroad in the spring might make more sense for them as individuals. For instance, suppose your goal is to learn a language really well. To do that, you’ll need to remove yourself as much as possible from an English-speaking environment, which can mean removing yourself from friends and acquaintances at Duke with whom you might be tempted to speak English. You can do that in the fall, but if you go abroad with a lot of English-speaking friends, it’s going to be difficult to make huge advances in the language. Also, the spring semester can actually be the better semester for study abroad in a lot of countries and programs. For example, most of the major religious and national celebrations in Spain take place in the spring – Holy Week, the April Fair in Seville, the Fallas in Valencia. Living and learning in-country while such celebrations take place give[s] you invaluable insight into Spain’s culture, history, and society. You can’t get that from a book or video. Spring semesters abroad can often be parlayed into summer internships abroad as well, capitalizing on your international experience in a way that will not only benefit you personally, but will set you apart in the job market at the same time. Employers value someone who can move in and out of global experiences with ease, confidence, and efficacy. Your global experiences should show depth, not just that you’ve checked the box. The spring-summer combination can help you do that.
2.) What are some tips you have for people who don’t know where they want to go?
It’s not always about where you want to go, it’s also about what you want to do while there. There are so many rich opportunities available to students that exploration is key. Don’t just ask your friends where they are going – think about what YOU want to accomplish while abroad. What kind of classes do you want to take and which regions or universities are known for those fields? Do you want to study a theme or simply enroll in unrelated courses at a foreign university? Do you want to live with a local family and practice language or do you want to live in a resident hall? What kind of extracurricular activities are available in a given setting? Will you be able to join local sports teams or travel during breaks? Will you have access to enriching cultural events, community service, or special career-building opportunities? Talking with [your] advisors and favorite faculty at Duke can help sort through some of these issues so you can consider your options with a broader perspective of what you want to get out of an abroad learning experience.
3.) Is it better to do a Duke-In program or a Duke-approved program?
Of course, we think our Duke-In programs are incredible and we’d love to see as many Duke students enroll in them as possible, but in the end, it’s not about Duke-In vs. Duke-approved as much as it is finding the program that’s right for you and what you want to accomplish while abroad. We don’t have Duke-Ins in all corners of the world, so if your passion is to study wildlife conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa, then you need to look at programs that offer that experience. If you want to study in French at a Parisian university, then Duke in France is the natural choice. The great thing about study abroad being a well-supported part of the Duke undergraduate curriculum is that you can have multiple experiences across semesters and summers, all the while assisted by financial aid and earning academic credit towards your degree.
4.) What is the biggest challenge students face when they go abroad?
Of course, challenges vary for students, depending on their backgrounds and the type of study abroad experience they’ve chosen to have, but I would say that the biggest challenge for students is simply letting go long enough to “be” where they are. By that I mean that we’re all so dependent on staying connected through various electronic means, that it’s easy to continue those habits when we’re abroad. The danger is that we spend a lot of time and energy on people, places, and events that are part of that other world – the one we left behind by going abroad – that we don’t have enough band width to dive in and explore fully the time, place, and people immediately surrounding us. My fear is that students will move on four months later from their semester abroad and regret what they didn’t do, the friends they didn’t make, and the language they neglected to speak because they never really let go long enough to live and learn in the place where they were. If students are able to do that, the other big challenges, such as language barriers and cultural and social awkwardness, will more likely be seen as challenges overcome by semester’s end.
5.) How does Duke Global Advisors help and when is a good stage to come in for help?
Duke students are very lucky to have resources such as the Global Advisors (http://globaladvising.duke.edu). I encourage students to meet with the Global Advisors as soon as possible, hopefully in the first year but, if not, as soon as they can get an appointment in their sophomore year. The Global Advisors are academic advisors by training, but with a specialty in knowing and understanding Duke’s global offerings in a way that helps students formulate a comprehensive plan for how to engage with Global Duke during all four years. You have more options if you start early and know some of the tips and pitfalls that open and close doors along the way, which is why I encourage students to meet with Global Advisors as early as possible. Once you have a plan in mind on how to fit in all the global opportunities that interest you, be they local or abroad, execute it, but don’t be afraid to modify it. In fact, if you don’t end up changing your mind or interests along the way, you’re a rare student at Duke! The Global Advisors see a lot of repeat customers – students coming back with new ideas, a fresh perspective, or maybe just a “things didn’t turn out the way I thought they would so now what do I do?” inquiry – and that’s OK.
I also encourage students to meet with the study abroad advisors in the Global Education Office (GEO) (http://globaled.duke.edu). The GEO advisors – Jamie Snow and Luca Lipparini – help students sort through specific study abroad options, such as whether to study in Spain or Latin America, or which UK university has the best combination of engineering courses, student housing, and extracurricular clubs. The important thing is that students reach out and take advantage of all the help available when debating study abroad options. It’s an important decision – a semester abroad represents 1/8 of your college career – so you want to make sure you maximize the learning experience and make it worthy of a semester away from Duke!
Photo Source: 1