Over the upcoming winter break, scores of Brandeisians will return home from a semester abroad, while still more are preparing to depart for all corners of the world in the spring semester. As the costs of education, travel and living expenses continue to rise, more and more college students nationwide are questioning whether spending a year, semester or summer abroad is worth the price tag. On one hand, the globalized economy makes it ever more important for students to understand and interact with foreign cultures. On the other, college degrees are already costly, and many STEM subjects vary little when learned in a different setting. Do you believe study abroad is an investment worth pursuing?

Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST)

The lure of adventure will draw another cohort of Brandeis students to study abroad next semester in wildly diverse settings. Why go? Brandeis contains its own intriguing world, with outreach to the community and a stream of incoming visitors. By contrast, study abroad is highly unpredictable. No longer a fleeting tourist, you test yourself daily with new customs, language patterns and cuisine. Academically, the break with routine opens your imagination, inviting you to ask entirely new questions. I've seen these changes close-up in The Hague, where I have taken nearly 100 students to interact with international courts, human rights advocates and peace-builders coming from all corners of the world. Studying abroad is like entering a laboratory, only you too are part of the experiment. Why go? In preparing for life after Brandeis, you learn important lessons about yourself, and can point yourself in new and exciting directions.

Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST) is the academic program director of Brandeis in The Hague. He is Proskauer Chair in Law and Social Welfare.

Patricia Amselem '14

Studying abroad is a unique opportunity that should not be influenced by its cost, as there are numerous options to help you fund your study abroad, such as grants and scholarships. Moreover, there is a wide range of approved programs that vary in costs, fitting different students' preferences and needs. I believe every student should consider making this investment as part of their college experience. I studied abroad in Russia, and gained a lot through my experience. I learned about the culture, and its history. I improved my language skills and I met interesting people. To me, studying abroad is an exciting adventure that takes you to unforgettable journeys through which you get to know yourself better, and which enable you to expand your horizons by learning about new cultures and traditions, and gain independence by adjusting to new environments. In short, go abroad!

Patricia Amselem '14 is a Study Abroad ambassador and the president of the International Club. She is from Madrid, Spain.

Nicholas Medina '14

As a study abroad returnee, I firmly believe that everyone should take advantage of any chance to study abroad for at least one semester anywhere in the world. College is about intensively studying academia, but it is also a chunk of life during which we are sensitive and very quickly personally molding and growing in critical ways. It is a unique period because it is temporally flexible, unlike the far-too-common adult life as a slave to recurring financial indebtedness. We really shouldn't be letting money control the freedom we always have to individually value and do that which we know lavishes our lives with meaning-we must make fortune happen for ourselves where and when our beautiful spirits need and deserve it. Really, the saddest part about rising study abroad costs is the inevitable degradation of the pool of students who will get to even just consider that single, vital, ever-meaningful academic study abroad opportunity.

Nicholas Medina '14 is a Study Abroad ambassador.

Nina Sayles '17

While there are many benefits to spending a year, or a portion of a year, in another country, there are also many reasons why the classic college experience is meant to be eight semesters. Often, study abroad programs don't provide as many course options or the opportunity to take as many credits as Brandeis and other universities do. This means that when studying abroad, one does not have the opportunity to pursue the goal of a liberal arts college, even though they are often spending much more money for the abroad experience. While clearly another country can provide a wonderful learning experience through culture and sights, many programs do not require a student to know the language of the host country, and this can prohibit one from truly taking advantage of his or her stay. In this case, the cost of the trip may not be worth it. Once one graduates from college, however, it may be extremely worthwhile and educational to secure a job overseas. Even for only a year, this would provide a source of income and offset the cost of living abroad, as well as provide a cultural education.

Nina Sayles '17 is studying Health; Science Society and Policy, and Music.