When students return from studying abroad, Education Abroad Advisor Nicole Newton often notices a change in their confidence.
“I notice immediately how confident they are,” Newton said. “They’ll tell me things, like, I navigated public transit in Tokyo and now I can do anything.”
For Newton, that confidence reflects the impact studying abroad can have on students. Through Cal State Monterey Bay’s Education Abroad, students can choose from more than 100 destinations and programs of varying lengths while continuing to work toward their degrees.
Education Abroad can accommodate a variety of academic goals and majors. Students can use their time abroad to complete courses for their major or minor or fulfill elective requirements.
“We can accommodate almost all of our majors. The thing about studying abroad is that you can choose to either complete major or minor courses, or you could go and take electives,” Newton said. “What people don’t realize is that even if we don’t have a program, if you have elective coursework to take, you could go there and take electives.”
With the number of programs available, choosing where to go and the program length can be challenging. Newton encourages students to consider what they want to gain from the experience.
“When I’m advising students on where to go and how long to go for, I really encourage them to think about their personal goals for studying away, because that naturally helps narrow things down and helps them choose a program,” Newton said.
Finances are another factor that students may consider when deciding whether studying abroad can be possible. According to Newton, financial aid can be used for many of the programs offered through CSUMB.
“For a majority of our programs that we offer at CSUMB, students can utilize financial aid. We pride ourselves on offering an affordable program portfolio,” Newton said, “As long as students are taking a certain number of units, depending on the program type, they can use their financial aid.”
Newton understands financial concerns from her own experiences as an international student. She encourages students who believe studying abroad may be out of reach not to give up on the opportunity.
“I would tell them not to give up. We have affordable programs, they can apply for scholarships and they can make it happen,” Newton said. “When I was a student, I did not come from a family who had wealth, and I didn’t think that I could study abroad, but I did it twice. So if there’s a will there’s a way which may sound kind of cheesy but it’s the truth.”
She advises students to create routines while abroad in order to establish a sense of normalcy and find ways to connect with others.
“If you love to do something here (in the U.S.), find a club at your host institution and do it there, because chances are you’re going to connect and network with like-minded people,” Newton said. “You’re gonna make friends that way, and that can make adjusting and adapting to a new place a lot easier.”
After students return back to the US, they complete a survey about their experience. For Newton, reading their responses is one of the rewarding parts of working with Education Abroad.
“I always really love reading the feedback,” Newton said, “It’s what makes my job so worthwhile, because the majority of that feedback is so positive.”
Apart from the feedback, Newton sees the ways students have developed after navigating a new country and education system.
“I definitely notice there’s an increase in confidence, because they’ve gone through this experience.” Newton said. “I feel like there’s this security and confidence in them that I don’t always notice before.”
Students interested in studying abroad can begin by attending an Education Abroad 101 Information Session available on MyRaft. Newton encourages students to attend even if they have not decided whether studying abroad is right for them.