Only 43% of NYU students study abroad, despite over 80% of applicants expressing interest in the opportunity, sparking concerns for the Office of Global Programs.
Administrators highlighted the “43% problem” in a faculty committee meeting last month, according to the meeting notes. They found that students’ primary obstacle to studying abroad was poor academic planning — rather than financial barriers — as they often struggle to efficiently accommodate graduation requirements and job applications in the latter half of their college careers.
Eliot Borenstein, the vice chancellor and vice provost for global programs, told WSN that the OGP is working with academic advisers to help students plan their academic schedules sooner, accounting for study abroad experiences.
“If you make the plans as soon as you arrive, and if you have some sense of what you want to study, we have plenty of options that make it very possible and attractive for students to study at one of our global sites without falling behind in any way,” Borenstein said.
In an effort to expand study abroad opportunities, OGP representatives said they are working to include more majors from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences to the NYU Global Gateway Program in London, which began last year. The initiative allows students who had expressed interest in studying abroad on Common App to spend their first-year at NYU London.
Tisch senior Shea Porada said that she came to NYU wanting to study abroad at NYU Paris, as well as pursue a minor in French. However, she said the opportunity fell through last-minute after she became an RA on-campus and landed a job as a nanny in New York City.
“It just didn’t make sense to me to go abroad where employment opportunities were a little bit more slim pickins,” Porada said in an interview with WSN. “It would have been a worthwhile experience — I just don’t think I put enough time into figuring out the logistics.”
Porada said she was also motivated to stay in New York City because she wanted to explore courses outside her major, and Tisch study abroad programs would confine her to only taking classes related to her degree. She was also worried about jeopardizing the community she had found at NYU’s Washington Square campus and potentially losing her RA position.
Over the last decade, the number of NYU students pursuing their degrees abroad at any given time has gradually increased from 2,700 to 4,200 — but, Borenstein said the percentage of students taking the opportunity has remained relatively flat due to increased enrollment over time. The university’s statistics only include credit-bearing study abroad programs as of now, but the OGP plans to include NYU’s short-term abroad opportunities into its future calculations.
CAS senior Izzy Larken, who double-majors in psychology and Spanish, said she decided to study at NYU Madrid during the summer term after her first year. She said she appreciated the six-week program for allowing her to experience living in a different country, while still getting to visit her family during academic year breaks.
“It just felt a lot more approachable than taking a whole semester and staying away from home that long,” Larken told WSN. “I had actually only ever been out of the country once, and that was when I was a lot younger. I was pretty unfamiliar with going to different places around the world.”
While applying to NYU, Larken said she had realized that she wanted to study abroad because of the university’s emphasis on its global campuses. During January Term of her sophomore year, Larken said she went abroad again — this time, to NYU’s campus in Buenos Aires with the CAS Presidential Scholars Program.
Borenstein said that when NYU considers establishing new study-away sites, administrators assess whether the location could offer a wide variety of opportunities to students. In July, administrators met with Japanese officials to discuss potentially opening a university site in Tokyo.
“Studies do show that students who study away graduate on time at a higher rate than students who don’t,” Borenstein said. “It is an experience that recommits you to your own education, to the institution, and gives you an even stronger sense of purpose about what you’re doing — not just about the major and your eventual career, but I think the value in your own life.”
Contact Selin Kemiktarak at [email protected].
