College study abroad programs have often evoked images of students strolling along the Seine in Paris, gazing up at London's Big Ben or tasting authentic Italian pizza in Rome. But while Europe is still host to a large faction of visiting students, non-traditional nations like China have seen unprecedented growth in recent years.
According to the most recent Open Doors report, published annually by the Institute of International Education, 8,830 students from around the globe studied abroad in China between 2005 and 2006. Between 2006 and 2007 that number grew 25.3 percent to 11,064. Despite its political turbulence and shaky human rights record, more students are embracing the emerging superpower by choosing China as a study abroad destination.
The growth of study abroad in China is part of a broad shift in the study abroad landscape. The Open Doors report found that, in the 2006 to 2007 academic year, the number of Americans studying abroad had increased by 8 percent to a total of 241,791. In the past decade, the increase has been even more remarkable, with numbers up nearly 150 percent since the 1996-1997 school year.
The Open Doors report also found that American students are more frequently choosing non-traditional study abroad destinations. While Europe continues to host the largest share of American students, the numbers studying in China, Argentina, South Africa, Ecuador and India each increased by more than 20 percent over the previous year.
The greater availability of study abroad programs has had a democratizing effect on the kind of education available abroad.
"Historically, study abroad was carried out by the elites," Associate Director of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne said. "They studied things like literature, art history, music and classics. But now, any major can study abroad."
This change has been fueled in part by an increase in new program opportunities, partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and abroad, as well as a range of fields and program durations to accommodate the needs of an increasingly diverse study abroad population.
According to Peggy Blumenthal, the executive vice president of the International Education Exchange, science, engineering and business students are studying abroad, which indicates that students with a greater range of academic interests and goals are viewing study abroad as important preparation for their future careers.
Still, there is still a lot of room for growth.
"Of course, the ideal situation would be to have more students studying abroad in every region of the world, and there are still some regions, like Africa and the Middle East, where American students are not currently studying in significant numbers, due to limited availability of programs, language constraints and other factors," Blumenthal said.
These national trends hold true for Tufts. According to Bayne, Tufts had only five study abroad programs in 1985, all of which were located in Western Europe. Today, that number has doubled, and Tufts abroad programs exist in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Some Tufts students believe that the increase in students studying abroad in relatively non-traditional countries corresponds with the growth of certain fields of academic study.
"I know a lot of people who are interested in development economics and therefore in developing countries. But it's not just touchy-feely development types," said junior Shana Hurley, who will be studying in Argentina next spring.
Hurley added that changes in the global economy are also leading students to seek study abroad experience that will qualify them for the international business world. "Goldman Sachs has the BRICs -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- which are their favored emerging markets," Hurley said. "For that reason, it's a good investment to go somewhere besides the old world of Europe."
Tufts is also reflective of national study abroad data in that one of its fastest growing programs is located in China. The Tufts-in-China program began in 2002 with five students, and this year 18 students are participating in the program. In addition to the Tufts programs, many other students are currently studying in China at non-Tufts programs.
Tufts students have found China to be a destination overflowing with learning opportunities -- language, ancient culture and history, an east-meets-west revolution and an evolving economic and political system.
Senior Jeff Greenberg traveled to China seeking to improve his language skills and studied in an intensive program in Harbin, China. "I decided to study in China because I've studied Chinese language since 10th grade, but I had never gone there to study," Greenberg said.
Greenberg found his experience there to be an invaluable part of his language education. "There is only so much Chinese that one can learn in the classroom. Especially considering the specificity of tones in Chinese, there is no way to simulate the Chinese language environment in the [United States]."
Other students have traveled to China seeking an emphasis on experiencing the culture of the region.
"If you travel to China, you realize immediately that it is the place to be both economically and as a traveler. It is enormous, diverse, fascinating, friendly and becoming the biggest superpower in the world," senior William Dinsfriend, who studied abroad last year in Hong Kong, said. "It is incredible to watch workers hang from buildings around the clock constructing [them] seemingly overnight. The culture is ancient and also experiencing an introduction to the modern world."
Dinsfriend cited the unusual opportunities he was provided with as one of the many rewards.
"Traveling was cheap, exciting and rewarding. I enjoyed exploring the ancient temples in Cambodia, riding motos in Vietnam, stuffing myself with delicious Thai food in Thailand, relaxing on the ... white beaches in the Philippines, seeing the Olympic stadium being built in Beijing and celebrating the Chinese New Year in Shanghai," he said.
Some students say that studying in China or elsewhere can teach skills of lifelong value.
"The interconnected and global nature of work in virtually every field in the 21st century means that young professionals need the skills that a study abroad experience provides, in terms of substantive knowledge of other countries and cultures, language skills and the self-confidence that develops from having successfully adapted to another culture in a short period of time," Blumenthal said. "Studies have shown that employers value the 'soft skills' that study abroad develops, including independence, cross-cultural sensitivity, leadership and [the] ability to work in multi-cultural teams."
