Letter to the Editor: Study abroad is worth the experience


opinion

TO THE EDITOR:

I read with some irritation the editorial you published in the Monday, Feb. 2 edition about study abroad, one of the oddest and least coherent editorials I have read in Central Michigan Life over the years. Let me explain. 

The editorial begins by pointing out the benefits of the study abroad—broadening one’s worldview, making oneself more marketable—but then the rest of it—by far the longest part—bemoans the obstacles, mainly financial, that study abroad must overcome. So what is your reader to conclude? 'Hey, it’s a great idea to study abroad, what a life-enriching experience, but, don’t bother. You can’t afford it.'

This is where I got confused about the purpose of the editorial. I certainly agree that study abroad is an incredible, indeed unmatchable experience. I would not have become a professor of French had it not been for the extraordinary year I spent in France as a college sophomore. But I also agree that spending time studying abroad may involve some sacrifices, and I am the first to wish the university would put its money where its mouth is and offer more funding for study abroad. But why spend the bulk of your editorial seemingly discouraging students from even envisioning what you seem to view as an exciting and worthwhile prospect? I don’t get it.

Finally, it is simply not true that study abroad is not well advertised, as the editorial suggests. On the contrary, the Office of Study Abroad is very diligent about publicizing its programs and organizing opportunities for interested students to learn about them from fellow students who have participated in them. We at least in the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures are constantly available to talk with potential applicants about our programs and answer their questions, including about possible scholarship assistance. I know this, because I served as adviser to the program in Angers, France for a quarter century before retiring this past summer.

KEITH A. PALKA

Professor Emeritus of French

Central Michigan University

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