Make study abroad easier

Columbia prides itself on being a global university and increasingly expanding its presence overseas. With University President Lee Bollinger’s recent announcements of plans to internationalize the Core and build more global centers, as well as Spectator’s recent news story about higher numbers of students in different corners of the world (“More undergrads studying abroad in developing countries,” Feb. 6), it is difficult to disagree.

Yet students still have more incentive to stay at Columbia than to study abroad. The Office of Global Programs states that students need to have completed most of the Core, particularly Literature Humanities, Contemporary Civilization, and two years of a foreign language requirement. Students need to have at least a 3.0 GPA both overall and in the foreign language they are studying, which prevents many students from applying. Moreover, universities affiliated with the study abroad program tend to give fewer academic credits than Columbia does for the same number of classes. With the Core, their majors, and overall academic requirements to consider, students might decide against study abroad in order to ensure that they complete their studies by their eighth semester and graduate with their class.

It doesn’t help that interested students have to pay Columbia tuition at whatever institution they would consider when abroad—even when a semester at a foreign university can cost half as much. Lastly, there is the fact that many students came to Columbia to be in New York in the first place. New York is a global city, and the benefits of an urban metropolis with so many cultural, artistic, and touristic offerings can be enough for some.

The recently announced fifth-year study abroad program, though a novel idea, doesn’t cater well to undergraduates. Most students forgo study abroad because they want to graduate in time, and spending an extra year to study abroad doesn’t sound enticing.

There are several potential solutions to solve some of these dilemmas, one of which is to provide the Core Curriculum abroad so that students would have less pressure to finish their requirements before leaving for a semester (""Core Curriculum may have hit the road with study abroad students," Dec. 9). In this way, students would have a unique experience in an entirely different culture and part of the globe while still receiving the education they came to get at Columbia.

Despite the impediments, Columbia’s study abroad program has taken steps forward. School of Engineering and Applied Science students are now exempt from having to complete two years of a foreign language. New global centers in different countries also allow students to tap into more alumni networks. Columbia still has a way to go, though, to make studying abroad less difficult for students. We hope Columbia can make requirements for the programs more flexible, or allow students to complete them abroad. We believe the Office of Global Programs would do well to work with foreign universities to implement these changes. In good time, these resources can lead students to the path of global citizenship.