This past summer set a record for the number of Auburn students who took part in programs abroad in an academic year with 1,354 students studying in over 60 countries, according to Auburn Abroad.
Deborah Weiss, director of Auburn Abroad, said this year was a success. She said the year is representative of an upward trend in the volume of students who decide to study abroad with an increase of 67 percent since 2010.
“This summer demonstrated students’ growing interest in career- and service-focused programs as well as programs which provided students the opportunity to complete major, minor and core courses,” Weiss said.
Spain and Italy have been the most popular destinations for Auburn students, and this year was no exception with 216 and 202 students in each country, respectively, Weiss said. The top 10 destinations for Auburn students were:
- 1. Spain – 216
- 2. Italy – 202
- 3. Ecuador – 60
- 4. United Kingdom – 60
- 5. Argentina; Chile – 58
- 6. Croatia – 52
- 7. South Africa – 45
- 8. Austria – 44
- 9. Ireland – 40
- 10. France – 39
Weiss attributed the increase of study abroad participants to students from previous years encouraging their peers and younger siblings to venture out after their own personal experiences as well as an increase in options.
“It was very exciting to see programs blossom in new locations such as Nepal, Ghana and the Galapagos Islands as well as the continued success of career-focused programs such as healthcare-shadowing programs, health clinics, business and engineering consulting programs and human sciences service,” Weiss said.
There were a handful of programs that brought Auburn students to places for the first time. These programs included a human sciences program to Nepal, architecture program in the Galapagos Islands, Office of Inclusion and Diversity program in Ghana and Office of the Provost program in Nicaragua.
Susannah Bland, junior in global studies, took part in the program that took students to Nepal. She said the trip brought unforgettable memories that gave her a new perspective on how to deal with discomfort while experiencing culture shock.
“The beauty of world travel is that these opportunities do not even have to be sought out,” Bland said. “Simply by stepping out on a country’s soil, I can start the learning process. A country’s culture has so much to teach, and I, in turn, have so much to learn.”
The month-long trip allowed Bland to have many new experiences, which included trekking, paragliding, washing clothes in a bin, bathing in a river and eating Nepali cuisine. She encouraged future participants in the program to fully embrace it.
“We continue to assist faculty as they develop programs to meet these student needs,” Weiss said. “We are also exploring ways to tie returning students’ abroad experience to opportunities with local international companies.”
The core curriculum abroad program will be moving from Rome, Italy, to Barcelona, Spain in the coming year, which will provide new opportunities for excursions and cultural activities.
Weiss encouraged students to attend the weekly study abroad informational sessions at 3 p.m. on Thursday and 11 a.m. on Friday in Room 242 of Foy Hall.
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