Globalization is becoming increasingly important for all careers, including engineering. Being aware of global issues and other cultures lays the groundwork for all new learning experiences. There is no better way to experience other cultures and broaden one’s world view than to travel. According to Francis Bacon, “Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience”
Marrianne Bird Bear, international engineering office advisor, discusses the study abroad program with a student.
Photo Credit: Ahmad Juhari, Azyyati Hamizan, and Farah JamilWhile UW-Madison is a renowned university in a beautiful city, there is only so much a classroom education can offer students who want to experience the world outside of Wisconsin. UW-Madison, however, does offer study abroad opportunities on five—soon to be six with the inclusion of a program in South Africa—of the seven continents. The choices of travel destinations are nearly endless, including Ecuador, Australia, Japan, Denmark and many more.
“You can’t expect everybody to speak English, but try not to go where you’re comfortable, study abroad is about experiencing new things. Be flexible and take advantage of the opportunities you have. Challengeyourself to go to aplace you wouldprobably never seeotherwise,” TaliaEsser who studiedabroad in Budapest,Hungary, says.
Typically, students choose to study abroad during their junior or senior years at UW-Madison and most stay abroad for just one semester.p. “I’d say close to 75 of our approximately 100 annual study abroad students choose a semester long program, though some— particularly when studying another language— students do opt for a year long program because that language proficiency can come during that time,” Marianne Bird Bear, international engineering office advisor, says.
The biggest piece of advice any student or advisor would give to a prospective study abroad student is to plan ahead. UW-Madison has partnerships with many universities around the world, so transferring credits is often an easy process, but not allcourses match up. It is important that students talk with an advisor before travelingto ensure that requirements are met without too much delay in graduation date.
Graduation date, as many students who have studied abroad urge, is not something to get caught up on. The life lessons a study abroad experience provides make a slightly later graduation date worthwhile. There is no better place to learn flexibility and acceptance of new ways of thinking than studying abroad.
“If you ask an employer if they would rather hire a student who graduated in four years or someone who can be flexible, adaptable and open to other points of view, I am confident they would choose the latter,” Kate Theirren, who studied in Lyon, France, says.
This experience doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, either. Tuition is comparable to that of UW-Madison. The biggest difference in price is the cost of living, which varies greatly depending on the country of study. In Copenhagen, Denmark for example, the cost of living is much higher than in Budapest, Hungary. The fees generally amount only to a few hundred dollars more than staying in Madison, and many need-based scholarships are available.
Many students travel around the region while abroad, providing an invaluable pathway for cultural discovery. Students often travel in small groups during school breaks or on weekends. It is away from the campus at local hangouts—not tourist sites—where one gets the best feel for the lifestyle in a particular place.
“Make it your trip. Don’t simply follow the crowd. When else will this opportunity arise?” Dibya Phuyal, who studied in New Zealand, says.
“If I had one suggestion for those who intend to study abroad in the future, it’s this: Meet as many people as you can from all over and visit them. Nothing compares to a typical night on the town in Berlin or celebrating Queen’s Day with 10 million Dutch folk. Being a study abroad student, you can often get stuck in you own little world,” Joe Hippensteel, who studied in Spain, says.
“Travel to the extent that your resources permit. You will inevitably return to UW-Madison after a term or year abroad with an understanding of yourself and other cultures that will give you something unique to bring to any situation in which you find yourself,” Theirren says.
It is difficult to find a student who had a negative experience abroad. Not only is it an amazing social opportunity to meet friends and potential future colleagues from around the world, it is a great educational opportunity to see the way engineers work abroad. More and more, engineering is becoming a global trade, and the additional experience gained from interacting with people from other cultures will strengthen any student’s r