BEST PRACTICES FOR STUDY ABROAD

MAXIMIZING YOUR EXPERIENCEFacilitated by:

Lance Askildson, Ph.D.Assistant Provost for Internationalization

David Younger, M.A.Associate Director for International Programs

INTRODUCTIONS & CREDIBILITY Who we are…

Leaders, experts and scholars in intl studies What we know…

The cognitive and behavioral correlates for good vs bad study abroad experiences

Why you should care… We can help you help yourself to a much more

meaningful and impactful study abroad experience

SOME PRELIMINARY REFLECTIONSIn small groups of 4-6, answer the following questions:

1. What is the purpose of study abroad? Its expensive, relatively risky and involves considerable discomfort. So, why apply to go? What do you expect to get out of this experience?

2. What do you anticipate will be hard or challenging about your study abroad experience? Cite 2-3 examples.

3. What are your goals for your study abroad experience? What do you hope to accomplish/learn/achieve? Cite 2-3 examples.

4. How do you expect to achieve your goals for study abroad while avoiding the pitfalls that you anticipate? How will you accomplish this in your short time abroad? (Efficacy vs Efficiency)

WHY GO ABROAD? To learn outside of the classroom. It’s that

simple.

Keri Matwick, 2009 SLA Grant & ND Alumnus

BEST PRACTICES: 7 CORE STRATEGIES1. Articulate clear and feasible goals for yourself2. Make progress towards these goals before

departure3. Anticipate and prepare to navigate challenges and

surprises4. Stay away from people/s and things you know and

push yourself outside of your comfort zone5. Get out and do something new everyday that

helps advance your goals in a meaningful way6. Develop a mechanism by which to systematically

reflect on your learning every day/week7. Take time to unpack your experiences and apply

them to your life when you return to the US

1. ESTABLISHING GOALS FOR YOUR SA In order to maximize your outcomes for study abroad, you

need to set clear learning goals/outcomes for yourself now This will allow you to “hit the ground running” and not spend

your first weeks orienting yourself & creating a plan Think about your goals functionally: Both in breadth and

depth. What do you want to do vs. just know/understand? What sort of attitude(s) or disposition do you want to

cultivate? Know why you are studying abroad: What motivates you

intellectually and practically; should not be mutually exclusive What, specifically, do you hope to get out of this experience?

Write down your top 3 goals now. Be explicit. Take a moment to sketch out your goals now and compare them

with individuals near to you

2. MAKE PROGRESS ON GOALS NOW Start preparing for language/culture flood by

watching/reading TL media to gear up Research the country, region and city where you will be

living Make social networking connections with locals Identify key resources to advance your goals:

Museums / libraries / universities to visit Historical or cultural sites/events to visit Professors / leaders / students you wish to meet Businesses or professional contacts to make Political organizations to engage or observe Opera houses / music venues to attend Intramural sports clubs / student clubs to join Service organizations / churches to volunteer

Prepare a schedule of activities for your first 1-2 weeks in country now, using this research

3. PREPARE FOR CHALLENGES Understand and be prepared to navigate

culture shock and homesickness Talk to other returnees to make sure your

goals are realistic (# of friends) and adjust accordingly

Think through responses for safety, health and security threats now so you can avoid panic

Local challenges? Transportation? Climate? Cultural attitudes towards women/Americans?

4. STAY AWAY FROM WHAT YOU KNOW Avoid Americans and/or fellow ND students

outside of classtime – be creative Cultivate daily interactions with at least one

local outside of your school/university Push yourself to try new things (foods,

activities, social norms) within reason Limit social networking and communication

back home to reasonable levels Limit exposure to American

culture/media/lang Cultivate a greater tolerance for ambiguity in

order to allow yourself to take social-psycho risks (again, within reason)

5. DO SOMETHING NEW EACH DAY Simple but brilliant rule of thumb

Do something new every day Make a list of all the small and big things you

want to do and use it to get out of your local school/home environment every day

Make sure that these activities advance your goals in some discrete way – targeted activities

Great way of making measurable progress and addressing #4: Stay away from what you know

6. REFLECT ON YOUR PROGRESS If you don’t make time every day/week to

systematically reflect on what you have learned and where you are headed: You may lose/forget a lot of your insights/gains

Many of these insights will help you advance further You may not realize how much progress you are

making and may become unnecessarily discouraged

You may not realize that your current approach to SA is not working until it is too late

Keep a journal, set aside time once a day/week to sit in a coffee shop/bar/restaurant/sheesha lounge to cultivate some self-awareness on where you have been and where you are likely going…

7. THINK THROUGH YOUR REENTRY Don’t waste your experience by forgetting to

unpack your experiences when you return Reflect upon and apply what you have

learned for your future personal, academic and professional trajectories

Talk to people who can help you leverage and implicate your intl experiences in some way

Find ways to stay connected/practice your language or cultural gains, if you want to do so

Study abroad should be transformative and have some/enormous impact on your life… if done right

WHY USE MAXIMIZATION STRATEGIES? Because they make a significant difference:

Improving both efficacy and efficiency Because you have a limited timeframe in

which to achieve your goals Because they will help you to better cope with

study abroad immersion as a whole Because they are often simple and easily

applied once they have been raised to a level of awareness and practice

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Lance Askildson (Askildson.2@nd.edu) David Younger (David.Younger.4@nd.edu)