Black college students, pack your bags and study abroad!
- Feb 14, 2018
- 3 min read
What is stopping black students from studying abroad in college? According to the Institute of International Education, only about 5.9 percent of students studying abroad are black as opposed to 79 percent being Caucasian. The opportunities are there, but the participation isn’t and black students are disproportionately underrepresented.
Dr. Christopher Daniels, Assistant Professor of Political Science, is the leader of FAMU’s spring break study abroad trip to South Africa and Dubai and will take 40 students in March.
Daniels conducted a survey to determine why students at FAMU aren’t travelling abroad as apart of his ongoing research, “Increasing African American participation in Study Abroad Programs.” Daniels surveyed 221 FAMU students across all majors.
The survey found that 53.8 percent of students have a passport and 93.7 percent of students would consider a study abroad opportunity, yet many FAMU students do not actually study abroad.
Daniels believes there is a combination of three reasons why African American students don’t study abroad. They don’t see the value, financial circumstances or it’s not stressed at home.
“Many students don’t understand the beneficial outcomes of studying abroad. If you don’t come from a household where people travel, then no one will be encouraging you to travel,” said Daniels.
Daniels hosts this study abroad trip to give students an opportunity to get their feet wet.
“Once students get a chance to go overseas once, they’ll become more comfortable with going abroad even more,” said Daniels
According to the FAMU Office of International Education and Development, 120 students studied abroad in 2017 and there was an increase in short-term study abroad programs.
Dr. William Hydman, Assistant Vice President for International Education and Development has noticed a shift in the amount of time students spend abroad.
“I think this change from going abroad from a longer period to a shorter period is driven by finances but also students’ comfort factor and feeling more comfortable going with a FAMU faculty member,” said Hydman.
Der’Shay Lane, a senior history education major got her passport thanks to the free passport program at FAMU and went on the spring break study abroad trip to South Africa and Dubai.
“Studying abroad has aided my perspective of world issues and in particular within the black community and how many issues are universal,” said Lane.
Despite the short time being abroad, Lane feels her first trip out of the country was not in vain and she hopes to take part in a longer study abroad opportunity.
“Having a semester abroad experience allows you to fully indulge in the culture” said Lane. “Going for a week sparked a new flame and it won’t be the last time I’m studying abroad.”
There are many arguments as to whether money is the reason why African American students don’t study abroad. The survey found that 79.6 percent of the students believe that money is the reason but both Professor Daniels and Dr. Hydman believe money is not the real issue.
“Money is a barrier but not for everyone,” said Daniels. “The main reasons are not seeing value in it or it not being encouraged.”
Dr. Hydman believes that the misconceptions of studying abroad must be tackled.
“Our goal is not to forget about the financial obstacle but to tackle the attitudes and change the culture on campus,” said Hydman.
The International Office has made it their duty to speak at every first-year experience class on campus so that freshman students can hear about the importance and value.
“It’s been demonstrated by research that students who engage in study abroad have better academic outcomes across all demographics,” said Hydman. Employers today and in the future are looking for students who are able to work in teams and think across disciplines and cultures.
It’s true that there is nothing like getting the full experience and being there in real life.
“Yes, you can learn it from a book, I suppose, but it’s much more powerful learning it by having that international experience,” said Hydman.
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