Popularity of Study Abroad Takes Off
By Matt Rupel
Students who want to study abroad next year are facing more competition for a limited number of spots.
The Santa Clara Study Abroad Office is being more meticulous as they review bids, and face a record high number of applications for the fall quarter. Each application will undergo three examinations that review essay responses, GPA and program selection.
"We can't necessarily accept every application, but what we can do is ensure a fair process," said Associate Provost for International Programs Susan Popko.
There are currently 510 applicants for the fall 2013 quarter. The entire program for the current year was only able to accept 378 students based on the program's budget. The number of spots available isn't likely to change according to Popko, who hopes to approve about 350 students to go abroad in the fall.
Sophomore Maggie Yudkevich applied to study in Spain for the fall, but is nervous about the higher rejection rates. "If I don't get to go, I'll be really upset," she said.
Over the last two years, the program has seen a spike in popularity, partly due to the growth in class size, said Popko. But the office is not able to send more students abroad. Instead, they've added more options for when and where students can go abroad.
"Offering different opportunities will increase access to students who have not been able to access the program and, we hope, increase the diversity of students who participate," said Popko.
Typically, though, a vast majority of Santa Clara students go abroad during the fall quarter. Usually, about 96 percent of students who study abroad do so in the fall. This could be because Santa Clara students have the opportunity to get a semester's worth of credit in a quarter, according to Popko.
"I'm undecided about the idea of going a different quarter," said Yudkevich. "I really like the idea of like, meeting up with your friends and travelling."
Nationally though, college students tend to go abroad for a shorter period of time, often during the summer. The Study Abroad Office is trying to encourage students to consider these kinds of options.
Study Abroad Director Andrea Muilenburg has already sent out emails to the applicants encouraging students to apply for other opportunities that are available for Santa Clara students to travel.
The Leavey School of Business has the Global Fellows program, which is designed to expand student learning beyond the classroom and around the globe in the summer. Students receive a stipend to fund a working experience where they become emerged into a foreign culture.
"Some may teach, some may work with a business, some may work in an orphanage in India," said Elizabeth Powers, the director of international studies for the Leavey School of Business.
Similarly, the Ignation Center offers the Donovan Fellowship, allowing students to design their own social justice program. The program initially began as a way for individuals to explore working with communities in the area, and grow around the globe.
Students that get the fellowships don't have the same academic experience that is found in study abroad. Instead, they spend a majority of their time working in the placements they're in.
"The heart of this program is to have a community based experience," said Associate Director for the Ignation Center, Valerie Sarma.