The Effects of Studying Abroad
on TCU Students
Impacts on Student Perspectives and Character Building
If someone in your life studied abroad, you have likely heard about it. There must be a reason why people who have studied overseas seem to never be able to stop talking about it, right?
“Studying abroad changed my life.”
A quote most of us students have heard from fellow classmates.
But is it really true? Can studying abroad truly change who you are? In this study, I sought to answer this question: to find out if there was something definitively transformative about the experience for the 40% of TCU students who study abroad.
Let's ask the students:
A study like this one, about how a certain experience affects students, should be centered mainly around the students in question.
This motivated me to compartmentalize the idea of “study abroad changed me” into pointed aspects of one’s character and development.
Independence, Cultural Open-mindedness, Confidence, Travel Competency, and Maturity.
Asking students to share their experiences studying overseas anonymously is as close to an infallible method of data collection for this topic as possible.
I surveyed nearly 200 TCU students who have studied abroad, including a series of questions about how they felt their character shifted as a result of studying abroad.
The Results.
Independence.
Madison Pastrick, a program manager for TCU Global, said that during her time working as a resident director abroad, the students who were the timidest upon arrival often turned out to be the most outspoken at the end.
Students at TCU are frequently well-traveled, having spent time vacationing overseas with family. For them, a 10-hour flight is nothing new.
So, what is it that makes the study abroad experience instill this newfound sense of independence in students?
Dr. Tracy Rundstrom, the director of nationally competitive scholarships at TCU, explains that TCU students tend to have strong family units and relationships with family, which is a structural privilege.
Although many TCU students have traveled the world, the difference is traveling without the immediacy of family.
Many students study abroad without peers they are familiar with, which generates confidence and success.
"It taught me how to be happier by myself."
According to Dr. Rundstrom, who has conducted numerous studies on ways to maximize the study abroad experience, the reason student's independence is raised is that undergraduate students are in an age of exploration and development in their young twenties, a prime stage of life to come into themselves.
"Studying abroad was one of the highlights of my 4 years at TCU. I learned so much about myself and how to live independently. I think that my experience will be one that helps me greatly upon graduation in terms of living and being able to converse with people in the workplace.”
"I went into it very scared and came out feeling more mature and independent. After spending two years living on campus and always being surrounded by resources and other students, studying abroad helped me a lot with the reality of living off campus and in the near future in the real world.”
“The world opens up when you’re in Europe. It’s great to see how excited our students get about the possibilities.”
-Lisa Paytonjian, Program Manager at TCU Global
Cultural Open-Mindedness.
“I went in to it with a perspective where I wanted to see how they do things here, and I wanted to adapt to their culture instead of them adapting to me. It would have been easy for some of us to say, ‘why aren’t they adapting to me?’, well because, we aren’t in America!”
Jackie Clark, a TCU Study Abroad Student, explained that without the experience of studying abroad, she never would have been exposed to so many cultures different than her own. She is grateful she was able to make friends from the other side of the world, learn about their culture, and teach them about hers.
“I was able to appreciate different cultures to a new level. Immersing myself in a Roman neighborhood and then living with a German family allowed me to appreciate and recognize our differences.”
Sydney Jackson, a student who studied abroad in Rome, Italy during the Summer of 2023, said that she had Italian professors who graded completely different, who smoked cigarettes during class, who weren't always as chipper as what she was used to. She said, at the end of the program, she had lunch with her professor at her apartment, and at that point, she was able to fully appreciate her professor's culture for what it was.
During interviews with TCU faculty members who are involved in study abroad programs, the topic of uncomfortability was continually emphasized. The idea that living in a space with a completely different culture does not come without challenges. However, it is through these challenges, and the beautiful differences and cultural intricases, that students are really given the opportunity to blossom.
Dr. Tracy Rundstrom, reminds students that it is easy to assume the cultural differences lie in the beautiful architecture and the different foods, and they do, but it is much more intricate than that. Cultural differences also include the daily habits, the mentality, the ways of being.
If you ask someone about their culture, they are going to tell you about all of the positives, but it’s up to you to uncover the deeper values of the culture you are immersed in while abroad.
INSERT MADISON P INTERVIEW: 21:00MIN
Confidence.
Nearly 30% of survey respondents reported that as a result of studying abroad, their confidence increased by 100%.
Things that increase confidence: taking risks and succeeding, accomplishing a difficult goal, building positive relationships, challenging yourself, and developing a growth mindset.
Studying abroad encompasses all of these things when approached correctly and positively.
If confidence can be increased by making one new friend on TCU's campus, imagine the potential for confidence boosts while interacting with new friends from around the world.
Madison Pastrick explains that without the challenges presented by studying abroad, there would be no true, lasting, productivity and growth. Overcoming the challenges is where the opportunity for a raise in confidence presents itself.
“Students become much more confident when they return to the U.S., whether it’s making new friends here on campus or networking professionally, the skills they bring back are very interchangeable.”
Dr. Rundstrom says that even when there are instances of negativity, the further one gets away from the experience, and the more time that goes by, they are able to idealize it and remember all of the things they were able to overcome. This is an extremely powerful confidence booster.
"I have learned that I am stronger than I think and can navigate the world by myself.”
“I definitely experienced an increase in confidence. I was learning to do things on my own in a foreign country! When we came back, I realized how much more independent I had become, and this made me really proud of myself.”
Students like Whitney Kelley packed a new sense of pride in their suitcase back to the states.
Whitney not only became confident in her ability to accomplish the intimidating things like running down streets, rushing to catch ferries and trains, planning weekend trips, and navigating public transportation in a foreign language, but she also tackled the little things.
“I ate by myself all the time in Europe. I would have never done that here in the States at a restaurant before this experience," Whitney said.
Travel Competency and Overall Sense of Growth and Maturity.
The survey found that nearly half of study abroad students believe their travel competency was raised by 100% as a result of studying abroad.
The results show that the experience provided almost every student with a plethora of common sense and skills that are applicable to the real world and traveling. Skills they were not able to obtain in American classrooms.
"I learned how to budget, travel across Europe, use public transportation, plan and book trips, and a great deal about various cultures."
Lisa Paytonjian, a Program Manager at TCU Global says that many students leave TCU having never seen a real train. But the ones that studied abroad, they have, and they know they can navigate it.
The students that have studied overseas have the perspective that the worst thing that could happen is they get on the wrong train. In fact, many of them have.
This idea is one of many that explemifies the fact that after making a mistake, alone, in foreign country, and making it out on the other side, a new sense of maturity and a wider lens of perspective is awaiting the student when they return home.
How to Maximize the Experience
Tips from Dr. Tracy Rundstrom, Study Abroad Specialist
"Prism"
To Dr. Rundstrom, the term she has coined as “PRISM” means that studying abroad can be a beautiful illuminating light, or it can be overwhelming and blinding, depending on the mindset with which you enter the experience. She feels that the metaphor of a prism helps to break the experience up into dimensions.
Prepare
Get prepared. Learn what you should expect and what to be aware of.
Relevance
Make everything you do abroad relevant to you and your life. Be introspective of your own culture so you are aware of what you are comparing things to.
Involve
Get involved and engage in the culture. Ask specific cultural questions to prompt interesting conversations.
Sense
Think about what you have learned. What do their cultural differences and habits say about their priorities? Make sense of your experiences.
Matter
Make it matter. Now that you have soaked in all of what comes with studying abroad, what are you going to do with it? Change your own lifestyle? Be more open and empathetic? Pull from aspects of the culture you admire and implement them?
Reflection is a massive part of what makes studying abroad so beneficial and transformative for students who are able to experience it.
According to a study by Dr. Tracy Rundstrom, reflective writing, or journaling, has been particularly linked to the cultural learning process. Writing about the experience helps students to reflect on and interpret their everyday interactions in a foreign culture. Rundstrom says that students demonstrate learning when the reflection leads to meaningful connections, new schemas or models, and thoughtful critiques.
In Dr. Rundstrom’s study, she prompted students to, “Daydream about the future. How do you see yourself implementing the knowledge, skills, and perspectives you’ve gained as a part of this experience? What do you want to do next with your life? How will this experience help you in the future?”
Many students utilize social media to document and share their day-to-day study abroad experiences with followers.
Doing so creates a digital journal for students to look back on and a way for them to update their friends and family efficiently and easily.
According to this study, studying abroad through a program at TCU can have significant positive effects on students. It is likely to make them more confident, independent, mature, culturally open-minded, and knowledgeable about travel. These benefits can be maximized by prioritizing reflection and maintaining a positive mindset during the study abroad experience.
“I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
-Whitney Kelley
"This 100% changed my life."
-Anonymous Survey Respondent
"I regret not staying longer."
-Hannah Haugen
"There are many 'seasons of life,' and the season of pursuing an academic credential is a time to learn and grow, and one of the most impactful ways to do this is through a study abroad program."
-Laura Meade, Director of Neeley International Programs at TCU
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