Just a few months ago, the entire spring semester was ahead of me. In the fall, I had been accepted to study abroad at the National University of Singapore – and in January, I left for Singapore. Once I got there, I joined some clubs and organizations, lost track of how many local and international students I met and planned a dozen trips with fellow exchangers.
Now, there’s one month left of class. Although I think I’ve experienced my exchange program to the fullest so far, I’m beginning to understand that one semester is not enough time. Students who are getting ready to make their study abroad plans should strongly consider choosing a yearlong program. You’ll be glad to have that extra time.
People assume that students who study abroad aren’t engaged on their temporary campus, spend a substantial portion of time traveling elsewhere and mainly spend time with other exchange students – and that’s all often true. I myself fall victim to several of these generalizations.
But these cliches exist mainly because our time abroad is often so short. When students go abroad for just one semester, they maximize their time by traveling, partying and sightseeing. If students spent a year in a different country, they would have more time to become involved in on-campus activities, meet locals and better integrate themselves into the culture. When students are abroad for just a short time, they share few things in common with local students besides class lectures.
Of course, this phenomenon isn’t an absolute. But choosing to study abroad for an academic year compared to one semester would help students abroad immerse themselves in their new school and culture. Local students could benefit too, since they would have more incentive to connect with and learn from visiting students.
Unfortunately, I won’t have the time to do everything I had hoped to do on my program in Singapore. Now that my exchange is coming to an end, I realize that I won’t have enough time to try bungee jumping in Macau, hiking in Borneo or visiting the Tiger Brewery in Singapore.
By focusing on seeing as much as possible in a short time, exchange students may struggle to build a daily routine. A year abroad would let students better understand the way of life in their new country and help them feel more at home. Because my semester is over so soon, it feels like it will end just as I finally feel comfortable.
One of my friends and fellow GW students, Justin Peroff, is currently studying abroad at the London School of Economics for one year. He agreed that spending more time in London has added to his experience.
“One semester really doesn’t let you get into the school life by any means, and it’s more just a chance to travel and sightsee a bit in the city and party,” Peroff said. “You don’t really get a true experience of living abroad.”
I realize many students may limit their study abroad to one semester to save money, ensure they can complete necessary courses or have time to take an internship. Other students may fear missing out on campus life. But my experience has left me wishing I had chosen a yearlong program anyway.
Many students put a lot of emphasis on the traveling component of their study abroad program, like I did. Traveling as an exchange student is one of the most rewarding experiences because it’s simple to find others eager to join you, it’s convenient and it can be done cheaply. But while that may be fun, there’s much more to an exchange program than tourism – and traveling too much keeps students away from their host schools and students.
I was lucky that I had previously been to Southeast Asia and had already visited some of the must-sees of the region, so I felt like I could spend more time on campus without missing out. But many exchange students who are here for a semester struggle with the high opportunity cost of traveling and potentially missing out on campus life.
Being in Singapore and living with local students has taught me to value components of my life back in D.C. and the academics at GW that I’ve taken for granted. It has also expanded my understanding of other people’s perspectives – and I’ve only been here for a few months. I can’t imagine how much my understanding of the world would change if I were in Singapore for an entire year.
One great advantage of studying abroad – compared to generic tourism – is the intellectual openness of students and faculty and the ability to share deep and well-formed ideas. But studying abroad for just one semester can prevent you from fully recognizing those benefits – and stepping out of your comfort zone just a little bit longer can fix that.
Felipe Chiriboga, a junior double-majoring in economics and philosophy, is a Hatchet opinions writer. Want to respond to this piece? Submit a letter to the editor.
