Studying Abroad in an Uncertain World

By Kaitlin Loss, Editorial Assistant

Natural disasters, terrorism, political upheaval: all things that continue to populate our newspapers and telecasts each day. Areas where these situations are most prevalent are often referred to as “hot spots,” and are often avoided by tourists, who take their cameras and guidebooks to tamer nations.

But for the thousands of American students studying abroad in hot spot countries when tragedy strikes, they have the often-difficult decision of choosing between retreating to the safety of their home soil or staying among the tough times to witness history and receive an education they hadn’t planned on.

After the September 11th attacks, the Institute of International Education predicted that enrollment in study abroad programs in Islamic nations would decline. However, between 2002 and 2006, it actually rose 127 percent. In early 2011, when the State Department issued an advisory of non-essential travel to Egypt, the American University in Cairo suspended its program. But many of the 325 American students asked to stay to witness history first-hand.

Obviously the risks in these situations are high, but do they equal the rewards? Students studying in Islamic countries in a post-9/11 world are able to see the effects of terrorism on nations outside of the US and also learn about a culture that has developed many misconceptions about America. Those who were in Egypt around the time of the revolution saw the power of the people and how anyone can inspire change. And more recently, students studying in Japan when the tsunami hit learned disaster prevention, protocol, and recovery. These are the kinds of lessons that cannot be taught from a textbook or in a classroom.

That’s not to say that all students should put themselves at risk in order to be present at these historical events. But sometimes, it can be hard to speak about these important and complex situations without having had any actual experience living in them. It’s important that study abroad programs continue for college students so that they can expand their learning to not only outside the classroom, but outside the nation as well.