On the blog “Stuff White People Like” you can find very politically incorrect but very true information that many people may not want to admit is true. I was particularly interested in #72:
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/72-study-abroad/
Unfortunately this speaks to a bigger issue and even though this post is funny, the accuracy is scary. I am constantly trying to diversify the groups of students who study abroad and the statistics (real ones) I’ve come up with are amazing. For example, it is true that white people prefer to go where other white people are (Western Europe, Australia, etc.). But Black students and Asian Americans will mainly choose to go to Asia and Africa because they are already used to being viewed as a minority in the U.S., so why not abroad?
Do the minority students end up having a more enriching experience just because of where they go? Or is it because they have planned better in terms of social acceptance and norms? It’s hard to say, and study abroad is an area that still remains a mystery to me sometimes (even though I have worked in it for about 7 years).
The only thing I DO know, is that even if the experience wasn’t substantial while the student was there, when they return, the re-entry process may educate the student even more than their time overseas.
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