skills. How much do your students
advance on these skills as they
move from the start to the finish in
their academic program?
The European study finds that
the students who decide to study
abroad tend to score higher on
each of these six. And, the students
who have studied abroad tend to
increase their advantage on these
even more. This is remarkable
because studies have shown that
these six skills tend to be rather
stable personality traits and subject
to limited and show change.
In addition, more than 90% of the
students reported an improvement
in their soft skills, such as
knowledge of other countries and
their ability to interact and work
with individuals from different
cultures. Students participating
in the study abroad programs
identified the study abroad as a
defining period in their personal
and professional development,
leading to greater maturity and
personal enrichment, not least due
to the challenges they experienced.
They reported significant growth
in their resilience, communication
and presentation skills,
interpersonal and intercultural
competences, problem-solving
skills, planning and organization
skills, critical thinking, creativity,
self-understanding, better
understanding of others,
responsibility and adaptability.
Students who participated in a
study abroad experience were
more likely to be employed
five years after graduation, and
were more likely to start their
own company. The employers
reported giving graduates with a
study abroad background greater
professional responsibility more
frequently, a proportion that has
http://www.aramfo.org/
Students who
participated in
a study abroad
experience were
more likely to
be employed
five years after
graduation, and
were more likely
to start their own
company.
been increasing over the years.
Graduates with a study abroad
experience were more likely to hold
leadership positions 10 years after
graduation. Moreover, graduates
with a study abroad experience
were more likely to be open to
work in an international context.
Study abroad also shaped the
social life of students – a third
of the alumni who had studied
abroad during their studies had a
life partner of a different nationality
than their own, nearly three times
more than among those who had
not studied abroad. Additionally,
those who studied abroad tend to
have greater proportion of friends
from other nations.
2016
I
Students from lower socioeconomic status, first-generation
students, and under-represented
groups of students are more likely
to score lower on the six skills
that matter for life and career
success. And, these students
are also the ones who struggle
making a decision to study
abroad.
Biggest barriers tend to be both
financial as well as family concerns
– out of ignorance - about the
safety and value of study abroad.
It is important for the higher
education institutions to find ways
to help all students overcome
such barriers, and to benefit from
studying abroad.
A R A M F O E D U C AT I O N A L F O U N DAT I O N
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