Dispelling the Myths of Going Abroad 1. In the U.S. jobs are better and I can make more money here than elsewhere, so going abroad while in college is not worth it. While focus is often placed on the "romantic" experience of visiting another culture in discussions about the benefits of study abroad, there has been some research that shows that study abroad experience has a quantitatively positive net effect on students. A study conducted from 2006-2010 showed that--during a period when only 49% of the average population of college graduates found a job within one year of graduation--98% of students with study abroad experience had found employment within one year. Students with study abroad experience reported starting salaries 25% higher than the general student population.[31] http://www.professionalintern.com/bottleneck-effect-looking-study-abroad-job-competitiveness http://markmanson.net/work-overseas World Bank (2005–2012)[3] [hide] Rank Country Intl. $ Year 1 Luxembourg 91,388 2012 — 87,765 2012 Macau 2 3 4 5 6 — 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Qatar 83,460 65,640 Norway 61,803 Singapore 53,367 Switzerland Brunei 53,348 51,946 Hong Kong United States 49,965 Kuwait 45,455 Australia 44,598 44,208 Austria Ireland 43,592 43,198 Netherlands Sweden 43,180 Canada 42,533 42,086 Denmark United Arab Emirates 42,080 Germany 40,901 39,788 Belgium Finland 38,655 37,852 Iceland 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2. It’s not safe to go abroad. (Data from nationmaster.com) Crime Statistics > Total crime victims (most recent) by country DEFINITION: People victimized by crime (as a % of the total population). Data refer to people victimized by one or more of 11 crimes recorded in the survey: robbery, burglary, attempted burglary, car theft, car vandalism, bicycle theft, sexual assault, theft from car, theft of personal property, assault and threats. Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence. VIEW DATA: Totals Definition Source Bar Graph Showing latest available data. Rank Countries Amount #1 Australia: 30.1% #2 New Zealand: 29.4% #3 United Kingdom: 26.4% #4 Netherlands: 25.2% #5 Sweden: 24.7% #6 Italy: 24.6% #7 Canada: 23.8% #8 Saint Kitts and Nevis: 23.2% #9 Malta: 23.1% # 10 Denmark: # 11 Poland: 22.7% = 12 Belgium: 21.4% 23% Map Printable version Correlations Rank Countries Amount = 12 France: 21.4% # 14 Slovenia: 21.2% # 15 United States: 21.1% # 16 Finland: 19.1% # 17 Austria: 18.8% # 18 Switzerland: 18.2% # 19 Portugal: 15.5% # 20 Japan: 15.2% Weighted average: 22.4% Crime Statistics > Prisoners > Per capita (most recent) by country DEFINITION: Data for 2003. Number of prisoners held per 100,000 population. VIEW DATA: Totals Definition Source Bar Graph Showing latest available data. Rank Countries Amount #1 United States: 715 per 100,000 people #2 Russia: 584 per 100,000 people #3 Belarus: 554 per 100,000 people #4 Palau: 523 per 100,000 people #5 Belize: 459 per 100,000 people #6 Suriname: 437 per 100,000 people #7 Dominica: 420 per 100,000 people #8 Ukraine: 416 per 100,000 people #9 Bahamas, The: 410 per 100,000 people # 10 South Africa: 402 per 100,000 people # 11 Kyrgyzstan: 390 per 100,000 people # 12 Singapore: 388 per 100,000 people # 13 Kazakhstan: 386 per 100,000 people Map Printable version Correlations Rank Countries Amount # 14 Barbados: 367 per 100,000 people # 15 Panama: 354 per 100,000 people # 16 Trinidad and Tobago: 351 per 100,000 people # 17 Thailand: 340 per 100,000 people = 18 Latvia: 339 per 100,000 people = 18 Estonia: 339 per 100,000 people 3. It costs too much to go abroad while in school. SEMESTER ABROAD OPTION http://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/affairs/articulation_agreements.cfm (Click on semester abroad grid) Sample TOTAL costs above the cost of staying at BSU for one semester abroad at various locations where we have agreements for exchanges: ($551.00) ($3,996.00) a. b. c. d. ($579.00) ($1,204.00) ($551.00) ($858.00) ($226.00) ($690.00) ($226.00) ($3,709.00) ($4,437.00) ($4,107.00) ($4,302.00) Must take one prep course to go abroad offered in international studies Must take two ‘face courses’ at site…for BSU general education credit Must take at least 6 credits (your choice) online from BSU while there When on semester abroad, you are a full-time BSU student/financial aid eligible 4. It costs too much to go abroad while in school. WORK ABROAD OPTION http://blogs.bemidjistate.edu/academicaffairs/2013/08/05/working-in-china-opportunities-forour-students/ a. b. c. d. e. f. One semester Air, visa, apartment, utilities paid Must have own insurance $500 U.S./month stipend Teach English for CIBT May take two courses each semester on site or via online at BSU while teaching (half time BSU student status is possible) 5. It’s too complicated Contact: Sanjeev Phukan, sphukan@bemidjistate.edu (professor of business) for semester abroad information; Amna Al-Arfaj aalarfaj@bemidjistate.edu (international recruiter) for study abroad and international program center assistance/information.