Making the Most of Study Abroad
For most students the best part of studying a language is getting to go
overseas and experience its culture and interact with the people. In
many ways, the cultures of the Middle East and North Africa are
particularly inviting places to live and study. While there is
typically no easy formula for putting together a great overseas
language experience, we have begun to compile documents that pose
useful questions and provide insights that can help you make informed
decisions. A wise choice for you will vary according to your goals,
your budget, and your degree of comfort with issues ranging from type
of institution to available amenities.
Before tackling the question of how to choose an overseas (or domestic)
program, let us first note that, second only to pre-departure
excitement, there is nothing quite so common for students returning to
the U.S. after studying abroad than the 
feeling that they did not make
the most of their in-country experience. Before you jump to the
conclusion that we want to rain on the parade, we hasten to add that
these same students typically rate their overall abroad experience as
highly rewarding. We therefore strongly suggest that you begin now to
ponder why it is that students simultaneously rave about an experience
and express significant regrets. Understanding this question well could
help you to return from abroad with greater peace of mind and with much
more linguistic and cultural proficiency than you might otherwise have
acquired.
Unrealistic expectations are one culprit underlying such feelings of
regret, especially for those with little or no experience in learning a
language that is not cognate with English. Language learning takes time
and patience. Whether you are a novice or veteran language learner,
however, it's all too common that the challenges of study abroad deter
far too many students from following through with their
language-learning plans, even those that are quite realistic. The
bottom line: In-country study is not a magic pill that will
automatically turn you into a fluent speaker of the language. Moreover,
culture shock and language learning-related frustration are not
reserved for the novice. Even study abroad students who have already
acquired Advanced- or Superior-level language proficiency from previous
and lengthy in-country residence regularly experience some culture
shock and other challenges that can take some of the wind out of their
sails. That said, we want to emphasize that well-prepared, hard-working
students can acquire a great deal of functional ability in Middle
Eastern languages even under conditions that are far from ideal. More
and more Americans are now going abroad and achieving their
language-learning goals. We want to help you be one of them.
This leads us to a second important point: There are no perfect
language programs, in the U.S. or abroad. The quality of such programs
spans the spectrum from outstanding to poor, but not even the best are
beyond some legitimate criticism. In short, you should prepare yourself
to make the most of less than ideal circumstances, inside and outside
of the classroom. Count on it! Again, we mention this to encourage, not
discourage. Knowing that your overseas language program will not be
perfect in every way is liberating, helping you to focus less on what's
wrong and more on what's right and what you can do to compensate for
what's missing. However, even if there are no perfect language
programs, this is no excuse for you to not do your homework in
selecting an overseas program that will help you to maximize the
benefits of your time abroad. The better the language program, the more
likely you will have a highly successful experience in acquiring
proficiency in the language and its culture.
No program is perfect and no program can be all things to all people,
so beware of such claims. If you are seeking a level of proficiency
that will qualify you for a particular job that entails only the most
pragmatic use of the language, you may well choose a different place to
study than if you are planning for an academic research career. The
following are important considerations to help you choose an overseas
program: What is the institution's mission and track record? Whom do
they hire and how do they train their faculty? What quality control
measures does the institution have in place? Many programs are so
overwhelmed by the growing 
number of students now studying abroad that
they struggle with staffing and maintaining adequate oversight, in
spite of the best of intentions.
Find out what, specifically, the program has in mind for you to learn
and how well this fits your needs and interests. Will credit from the
program transfer readily to your home institution (if credit is a
concern)? What objective indicators of program quality can they
provide? What is the length of the program and how is it structured? A
shorter program of two to six weeks may be advisable for you, if you
are just testing the water but don't expect to jump ahead a year back
at your home institution, unless its language program is mediocre or
worse. Longer intensive programs are a must for significant language
proficiency improvement. Go abroad for a semester or academic year if
you can, but also know that good results can accrue during nine or ten
weeks of solid summer study. Time, of course, is no guarantee. Time on
task is critical. "Task" doesn't have the best of connotations so you
want to make sure your time on task doesn't seem burdensome. If your
language journey is one of discovery and rich personal association with
speakers of the language, it won't be. The more enjoyable you find the
learning and language-using experience and the more relevant you
perceive it to be to your life and interests, the more time you'll
spend in the language. If you find yourself spending lots of time
hanging out with Americans, surfing the web, distracted by various
annoyances, or otherwise engaging in subtle or not-so subtle avoidance
behaviors, figure out what you need to do to fully engage. Don't be too
hard on yourself. Everyone needs a break now and then. Enjoy the
journey. Language learning is not a sprint.
Good coaching can make a big difference. Find out what type of
advisement, if any, is available. Do those providing such advisement
really understand the needs of American students? Do they seem to fully
understand yours? Ideally, you'll have easy access to role models and
coaches who've succeeded at doing what you want to accomplish.
Discouragement is by far the number one enemy of forward progress in
study abroad learning contexts (and many others!). Teachers and coaches
who understand how to help you deal with this and "stay in the game"
will go far in helping you maximize your time in country. If, however,
you find yourself in the situation where you do not enjoy such a
support network, you will need to work doubly hard to compensate for
these circumstances, including setting aside time to regularly take
stock of how you're feeling, how engaged you are. We strongly suggest
that you do all in your power to find friends and tutors from the
country who: 1) believe in your ability to learn the language; 2) make
you feel good about yourself and your ability to learn it; 3)
appropriately challenge you to use the language. You should also find
out as much as you can about the other students that you will be
studying with and what the maximum class size is. The people in your
classes may well contribute to what you'll learn as much as or more
than the teacher(s). A class of well prepared and highly motivated
students can lead to a very productive experience inside and outside
the classroom.
Your choice of country or city will also influence important
considerations, such as cost. Some areas are far more expensive than
others. More remote cities may help to insulate you from those who
speak English well, but they may also offer fewer amenities. Others
will thrive in big cities with all the excitement and opportunities
they offer. Climate and the availability of air-conditioned housing and
classrooms can make or break the experience for some. Some students
will do better in smaller cities or in private institutes that offer a
more personalized learning experience. Each context has its pros and
cons. Take time to be sure you know 
what you want and what you need so
that you can choose accordingly. Some overseas language programs can
play an invaluable role in helping you to find suitable housing,
conversation partners, service learning opportunities, and internships.
Find out if they offer such services. Most importantly, we urge you to
prepare well to have a safe and healthy experience. Traffic accidents
are typically the most serious threat. As you consider choosing a place
to study and as you prepare to go abroad, please consult the State
Department's website, as well as your university's risk management
team's website, to insure your safety and well-being.
Getting answers to all of these questions will require you to search
well beyond an institution's website. Ideally, you'll find your
information from an impartial source. Experienced language
professionals based in the U.S. are one excellent source of such
information. Unfortunately, such people are relatively rare, often
overworked, and therefore not readily accessible. The large number of
Arabic and Hebrew programs currently available make it impossible for
one person to have thorough and current familiarity with all of them.
For this reason, we are engaged in a cooperative project with programs
located all across the Middle East and North Africa that wish to make
reliable and objective information available to students shopping for a
quality program. We plan to begin posting such information early in
2009, but for those bound abroad before then there is still much to
learn here that can assist you in choosing a program abroad, making the
most of it, and making the most of your out-of-classroom experiences.
We wish you all the best on your journey and welcome your feedback.
In addition to our own region-specific documents, we recommend the following resources:
Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students' Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use by R. Michael Paige, Andrew D. Cohen, Barbara Kappler, Julie C. Chi, and James P. Lassegard. University of Minnesota. 2006 (262 pages). Order form found at CARLA Working Papers.
This book offers helpful tools and suggestions to help you better know
yourself as a learner and make the most of your time abroad and beyond,
including: dealing with culture shock, ways to set realistic goals and
self-monitor progress, how to be a better observer of linguistic and
non-verbal communication, and strategies for learning vocabulary and
developing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation
skills.
Maximizing Study Abroad: An Instructional Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use Order form found at http://www.carla.umn.edu/
A good resource for preparing students for study abroad, the book Maximizing Study Abroad: An Instructional Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use was created for language teachers and study abroad professionals. It is meant as a companion to the Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students' Guide.
Study Abroad and Second Language Use: Constructing the Self by Valeria A. Pellegrino Aveni. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005 (188 pages).
An excellent window on the emotional and psychological struggles that
are almost universal in language immersion experiences. Few of us enjoy
looking foolish, yet living in a foreign culture with limited language
ability can be a trying experience. Every student should take a look at
this book, even if you don't mind looking foolish just in case. If you
do nothing else with it, read the student profiles beginning on page
159 and learn from the experiences of these students of Russian. Pack a
photocopy or notes of some of the key lessons you learn from these
students so you can review them when you find yourself withdrawing
rather than engaging. You'll be glad you did.