A liberal arts education strives to provide students with a broad knowledge of the wider world. It aims to expose students to an array of subject matters in the natural sciences, history, humanities, and social sciences. It gives students the skills and flexibility they need to deal with an ever changing culture, demographic, and economy. But I wonder, is this goal achievable without travel? Can one truly understand language, culture, history, literature, economic inequality, art, and biological diversity without seeing and experiencing it firsthand? Our North American universities are doing the best they can to provide students with this broad and flexible education, but when looking at the applications of two recent college graduates, the one with the international experience stands out.
This is why…
Problem-solving skills: I admit, this is an overused phrase that many employers state they want and every applicant claims they have. But it is also an incredibly valuable skill in the workplace. Problem solving requires analytical thinking and creative solutions. It requires initiative and a strong sense of logic. Students who have traveled or lived abroad have developed real life problem solving skills. They have had to overcome challenges such as getting lost in a new city, communicating with minimal language skills, making travel plans and reservations, and even possibly dealing with visa issues, looking for a place to live, and falling ill. Their grades can tell you whether or not they can present a solution on paper, their abroad experience shows you that they can do it in real time.
Flexibility: A liberal arts education aims to equip students with the skills they need to be successful in a variety of careers and to allow them to adapt easily to career and workplace changes. It teaches students how to think critically, form arguments, and communicate effectively on a variety of subjects. And I believe it does do a good job of this. Again, however, I value the student who cannot only tell me they are flexible, but show through experience their ability to be flexible and manage change, and what better way to show this than by studying abroad? Moving to an unfamiliar country is the biggest change of all. The student who can be successful in a foreign country despite the drastic change in culture, language, landscape, etc. is the student who will be most successful in a dynamic and forward moving career.
Strong Communication Skills: Most students graduate from a liberal arts college with strong communication skills. They can present an argument well in writing or in oral presentation. Their university career supplied them with ample opportunity to refine their writing and public speaking skills. The problem is most of them have only had to communicate with peers. The act of communicating with people who are not of the same age, same race, same class, or same culture, presents additional challenges. Students who have studied abroad have been exposed to people different from themselves and have had to learn how to effectively communicate with them. They’ve had to present themselves and their arguments differently than they would to their peers and communicate across cultures.
Gumption: Lastly and most importantly, students who have studied abroad have demonstrated real gumption. They’ve put themselves in an unfamiliar situation where no doubt they made mistakes, but they also learned a great deal and gained an incredible amount of confidence and self-awareness. They’ve demonstrated ambition, independence, and resourcefulness.
For students who are contemplating whether or not to take a year, semester, or even short summer program abroad, my vote is unequivocally YES. Cost is an issue for some, however many universities and external foundations give scholarships specifically for international education experiences, as they know how valuable it is to the student and our general workforce. The education and advantage you will gain from your international experience will be worth the investment and more. Students not only gain critical, marketable skills while studying abroad, but also the confidence needed to be successful in any working environment.