Each year, roughly 1,700 Purdue students study abroad. Those who have returned to campus are promoting the experience to their fellow Boilermakers during International Education Week (Nov. 11-17).
For Mandi Lira, spending a semester in Spain will be one of the highlights of her time in college.
“I just found it very exciting to witness a different group of people and see how they lived their lives and see how their values differed from ours. Just being able to immerse myself was a wonderful opportunity that I think a lot of people don’t get and it really helps you understand the different global perspectives that are really important in our world.”
She was in Madrid for the first half of this year. During that time, Mandi’s goal was to experience the cultural similarities and differences.
“Our program was really pushing for us to live with locals, so it was hard to do that at first, but it was cool. They’d take me out to the park or we’d cook together. It was a good cultural exchange. I also got to meet a lot of people while I was traveling in hostels or other international students, so I just feel like I met a whole new world of people.”
She also wanted to learn how someone from another country reacted to Americans outside of the United States. Mandi learned how situations at home and decisions made by the U.S. government can impact the world. Her stay coincided with Spaniards grappling with their country’s financial crisis.
“They said that unemployment for people under 25 is 52%, so it makes our unemployment rate seem almost non-existent. They had strikes. I saw more people begging on the streets. It was eye-opening. One of my roommates just finished her degree and couldn’t find a job.”
Mandi credits her study abroad with making her more independent and getting outside of her comfort zone.
That idea of challenging yourself was what Patrick Slack was going for with his time away from Purdue.
"I wanted to go to an Asian country that was kind of off the beaten path, not necessarily the normal. I figured that’d be a pretty good way to adjust my living style.”
He chose Thailand and Cambodia for school and followed that up with an internship in Laos. Patrick says life-changing is the best way to describe it, even though he admits that’s a cliché. He says it changed his outlook on life.
“One thing that everybody in southeast Asia has, for the most part, is peace of mind and just not worry the little things. In the language you’d hear ‘No problem.’ And in the end, people get so caught up in drama and their problems. There’s no reason to, because in the end it’s just going to rob you of your peace of mind.”
Purdue is trying to persuade more students to take the plunge and study abroad. Administrators say most who do take part in short-term programs, so the cost is comparable to the average semester of tuition and fees. The university also has some special funding available. Recruiters say students who study abroad are more desirable to future employers.
“Once they know you have study abroad experience, they know you have a more global perspective and multi-cultural understanding." says Purdue student Erica Ye. "That’s something they’re really looking for.”
Erica studied in Florence, Italy, and did an internship in Sydney, Australia. She’s a senior who works in the university’s Center for Career Opportunities.
“I think study abroad is the best experience I’ve had so far. It gave me a different perspective in looking at things – not to be narrow-minded and know there’s so much more to offer outside of here. I would highly suggest it and I think college is the best time to do it, because you have your mom and dad supporting you. That’s the best part of it.”
Purdue’s Programs for Study Abroad reports the number of students involved has been increasing for decades. They say while it slowed during the recession, it continues to lure students to explore different parts of the world.