Traveling is an essential part of learning because it allows engagement of the world’s citizens and many of its cultures through first-hand experience. Many U.S. college students miss the opportunity to gain a wealth of understanding and global engagement with a plethora of study abroad scholarships that go unused yearly.
With the onset of globalization playing an integral part in money flows, employment, communication, and moving through life in general, study abroad is becoming more than an elective, but I see as something that is a necessity. While the numbers of students studying abroad has increased. U.S. News reports that 1 in 10 American students head overseas at some point in their academic careers. This is even more disconcerting with the following data:
“... China and Saudi Arabia together account for 73 percent of the growth of international students coming to the U.S., countries such as Brazil, India, Kuwait and Iran accounted for an additional 18 percent.”
Making the effort to learn about these resources and taking advantage of every program your college has to offer, is what sets students apart in many ways. Traveling abroad is better than any class instruction because it is a hands-on. It makes you grown intellectual, emotionally, culturally, and socially. Removed from American comfort zones, U.S. students are forced to mature by learning cultural sensitivity, daily social protocols in another society, culinary styles, and simple everyday navigation such as figuring out public transportation or shopping for food.
During these exciting journeys during your college career, there are many things to consider prior to setting foot on the airplane. One of the most important facets of leaving home, especially in the beginning of study abroad, is the ability to stay connected with friends, family, and coworkers at any time or place in the world. With technology and telecommunications constantly evolving, communicating overseas is extremely easy.
A study abroad essential is the phone application “WhatsApp,” an app that is a cross-platform instant mobile messaging application that allows users to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS fees. Not only is it a brilliant invention and technological advancement, but it truly breaks down barriers for international communication.
WhatsApp allows people from anywhere in the world to send and receive text messages instantly, almost as if they were in the same city. It is a tool that allows students studying abroad to feel much safer in an unfamiliar place wherein they are completely foreign to the language.
A great way to stay connected and share photos or memories during the trip is by using social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Using these two platforms allows students to edit and upload their pictures and share them with a tailored audience. However, there a more limitations with these apps including Internet censorship (China, Korea, etc.), or only being able to use them with Wi-Fi or on a specific domain.
Another important app are travel apps such as TripAdvisor, a digital platform allowing users to post and rate their experiences, use of tours, hotels, eateries, and other pertinent travel information. Now TripAdvisor added hotel and flight planning too.
In addition, Google Flights, AirBnB, and the updated platforms on Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Hotwire, Yelp, FourSquare are instrumental in navigating food, shelter and gathering foreknowledge of the area that you are preparing to travel. For movement, Uber, Waze, GoogleMaps, GoogleTranslate are excellent apps. And to understand currency, XE Currency works, but make sure that you have a PayPal account and Venmo.
In whole, having the ability to use these media platforms to constantly keep in touch with loved ones is an added bonus and makes the transition into a foreign country much easier. There are so many ways to stay connected no matter where you are in the world, and I think it is important to gain experience through traveling and see the way our fellow human race live their lives. The opportunities are bountiful, especially on a college campus, and I want every student regardless of grade, class, or financial standing, to take advantage of their resources and explore another piece of the world.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment