Mandatory study abroad programs are closer than students realize, according to CCPA Professor, Nina Flournoy. SMU is attempting to revamp curriculums across the board and make them more global. Study abroad would be part of the change.
Flournoy serves on a task force designed to coordinate the issue and said the change would be good for the school.
“The world is so globally connected that it is essential for students today to have a global perspective no matter what their major,” Flournoy said.
The plan is still in its preliminary stages, and SMU is unsure whether they can get it authorized because of the cost of the programs, the time commitment they require and several other issues.
Ultimately, it is SMU students and potential students who may be affected by this requirement. There appears to be a common stance among students: Although most agree it is a great experience and it looks good to future employers, but making it mandatory may be taking it a step too far.
Lindsey Schortman, a junior who studied abroad in London this summer, said she thinks it’s important that students take advantage of the opportunity to live and study in different cultures to broaden their horizons, but she feels it should be a choice that students have, not something that is forced upon them.
Many students have valid reasons for why they feel study abroad should not be made mandatory.
“I feel anything that is mandatory just has a bad connotation,” junior Jamie McKinnon said. “Although I understand the importance of globalization and international affairs, I might have reconsidered coming to SMU if study abroad was required. I’m afraid many prospective students will feel the same.”
Other students don’t feel it is fair to certain students to force them to go abroad.
“For international students, their study abroad experience is living in the U.S.,” senior Matt Schortman said. “It’s not fair to force them to study abroad, it’s like telling them to go home.”
The importance of study abroad is clear for business majors and others whose topics of interest hinge on the importance of international studies, but what about some other less globally-oriented majors?
“I want to graduate, dance for a company and live in the United States. Why do I need to study abroad?” junior Regan Nuchereno, a ballet major at SMU, said.
Many questions remain for students regarding the pending mandatory study abroad requirement such as how this will affect housing on and off campus, expenses, scholarships and the length of time that will be required abroad.
SMU and the globalization task force are still working out all the details of this proposal and will certainly have answers to all these questions in the near future.
If the requirement is authorized, it won’t be for a couple of years, but students should start looking at their schedules and considering the opportunity.
