Chico State placed No. 3 in the country among master-level institutions during the 2006-2007 academic year for sending students abroad for a year.
Chico State sent 102 students abroad while Touro College in New York City ranked No. 1 with 300 students, and San Francisco State came in second place with 188 students, according to the Institute of International Education ranking.
Currently, 179 students are globetrotting to locations spanning the arid lands of Africa, mountainous regions of China and rolling hills of Ireland to attend school and experience foreign lifestyle.
About 76 of those students are there for a year, said Michael Nieto, assistant study abroad adviser and alumnus.
Although the number of students studying abroad has dropped since the last academic year, Nieto has seen a rise in students who plan a year - rather than a semester - in advance, he said.
"In times of economic uncertainty, it's hard to commit yourself to going to live in a foreign country," Nieto said. "I'm pretty sure that a lot of the kids not going abroad this semester, because of the economy, will find a way to go in the future."
Tasha Dev, international exchange and study abroad coordinator, is in her eighth year of working for the program and knows firsthand the value of studying for a year rather than a semester, she said.
"This may be the only opportunity that (students) have to live abroad for a year, and so I ask students to ask themselves 'Why not?' and to do the magic on their own," Dev said. "I don't try to press them."
Dev studied in Mexico for one semester and realized that four months just wasn't enough, so she took a year to study in Spain, she said.
"The second semester is usually when students truly begin to thrive, rather than just survive," Dev said.
Students interested in studying abroad must attend an information session that gives an overview of the exchange programs and destinations before they can meet with an adviser, she said. This session kick-starts the realization that studying abroad for a year is possible.
Sophomore David Waldron plans to spend a year in Ghana, Africa, and he hopes the experience will help with his art studio minor, he said.
"I expect to experience a whole new culture and meet a lot of new people - and probably change my life," Waldron said.
Meghan Moriarty can be reached at mmoriarty@theorion.com
Be the first to comment on this article!