The University of Kansas ranks number eight in the nation for study abroad, and University graduates are taking it to the next level and getting graduate degrees abroad as well.
According to a recent survey by Open Doors, the percent of students studying abroad from the United States has risen more than 7 percent since last year. While over the past decade, the number of students studying abroad has more than doubled.
Mary Klayder, honors lecturer and director of three different study abroad programs, has helped students choose programs for graduate school. She has written letters of recommendation, and she is able to tell her experiences while abroad to interested students.
“It gives people a different experience,” Klayder said, “It is more cultural.”
Klayder said people must have a reason to go abroad. It is a different way of learning, and the students should ask ‘what will I gain’.
“We are a nurturing school, it is not the way most schools are,” Klayder said, “The student must learn on their own and independence is required.”
Klayder said the student should look at the strongest university for their field of study. If the student studied a language in undergraduate then going abroad is beneficial.
“Germany is best for science and research,” Klayder said.
Christina Sell, Girard senior, had one school in mind for graduate school, the University of Leicester, in Leicester, England. Sell is studying European history with an emphasis on British history. She decided Leicester would give her the best program needed for her career goals. The British program can be completed in one year, while an American university could take two years.
“The post-graduate museum studies program at the University of Leicester is known worldwide for its excellence. Much of the theory on the subject and academic journal originated at Leicester,” Sell said.
Sell lives in a scholarship hall and said moving overseas will be different.
“I'm going to be living in a foreign country for a year by myself, and I do not know anyone else in the area,” Sell said, “I'm living in the university's non-catered post graduate housing, so I will live in a building with 10 other people. I will have my own bedroom but share a bathroom and kitchen with the other occupants and have to provide my own food.”
Sell said she would miss her family, car, and cell phone the most.
Klayder said she should get good internships at museums after studying there.
“It is easy for people to go to the U.K. since the classes are taught in English,” Klayder said.
One of Klayder’s past students is studying at the University of Toronto. Peter Buchanan, Stillwater, Okla. graduate, is majoring in medieval studies. Buchanan graduated last year with an English degree, and he received his master’s in Toronto after one year, and hopes to graduate with a doctorate by 2012.
“In medieval studies, Toronto is the best school in North America, so when I was accepted it was just an automatic choice,” Buchanan said.
While studying abroad, Buchanan has encountered multiple cultural differences.
“The biggest thing is that Canadians, especially graduate students, tend to be more liberal than many Americans, especially those from Kansas,” Buchanan said, “Drinking is more casual. There is much more of a pub culture in Toronto than there is in Lawrence.”
He also said the numbers of Canadians and Americans in his program are about equal, but Toronto is more diverse.
“Walking down the street you are far more likely to hear people speaking in a large number of languages, especially
French, Chinese, and Vietnamese,” Buchanan said.
While abroad Buchanan communicates with his family through cell phone use and instant messaging. He said he missed American food.
“I miss good fried food, the idea of chicken fried steak is foreign to most Canadians, and country gravy might as well not exist,” Buchanan said.
Students hoping to study abroad should look into all available option and need to be prepared for what is to come. While some students may get scholarships from the school, Mary Klayder recommended finding scholarships in the United States.
“It is hard to get money in other countries since they want money from the United States,” Klayder said, “It is not cheap, especially in England.”
Heather Leger, Derby graduate, is studying in Rome for a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Studies. She said she chose John Paul II Institute because of the price and because Rome is the heart of the church.
“My tuition for the two year master’s program was 2,000 Euros,” Leger said. According to the current currency rate, that is equivalent to $2,700 here.
“Even with my living expenses airfare, I've spent under 10,000 for the whole year,” Leger said.
She said she had a hard time getting everything finalized before she moved to Italy. Besides having to get a visa, receiving permission to live in Rome, and preparing her move overseas, she had to do other things to be accepted.
“I had to get a letter of recommendation from my bishop and had to speak Italian,” Leger said.
One of the downfalls to studying abroad is the language barrier. Leger’s professors did not speak English, while Peter Buchanan will have to learn Latin, German, and French before he receives his doctorate.
“You must be able to translate different academics,” Klayder said.
Studying abroad might not be for everyone, but graduating from Kansas can connect people worldwide.
“I met my current roommate while jogging in the park with a pair of KU running shorts. She just happened to be from KC, and we now live together,” Leger said.
