2. Introduction
A study abroad experience is one that many colleges encourage their student’s to partake
in. About 283,332 students across America take part in the cross-cultural experience and a large
majority of these students’ choose popular programs in Western European countries. In
2005/2006, the Institute of International Education said that 58 percent of American students
traveling abroad went to Europe1. However, study abroad in Asia has also seen an increase. In
the same report, study abroad destinations to Asia showed a 26 percent increase which was
fueled by a growing interest in China which saw a 38 percent surge. Despite the growing
national trend in sending students to study abroad in Asia, the State University of New York
(SUNY) at Geneseo has not seen a strong growth in its study abroad programs to Asia. Data
collected conducted by the Geneseo Study Abroad Department from 2006-2013 have shown a
growth of Asia study abroad programs to be 200% which pales in comparison to the regions that
have also undergone increased participation such as Latin America and Africa which had growth
of 535% and 437.5% respectively. In regions that have shown an increase in total growth (Africa,
Latin America, and Asia), Asia is the slowest in development. This may have something to do
with student’s initial thought process before going to study abroad. In a survey that analyzed the
prospective study abroad student, almost half of the student’s at SUNY Geneseo did not even
consider Study Abroad when they began their search. When asked why Asia was not considered,
student’s said that language, culture, and affordability held them back from considering the
Asian options. However, as concluded in the findings discovered recently, students have no idea
that most of the programs offered were conducted in English, that cities such as Hong Kong is a
world city that would resemble cities such as New York, and that Asian cost of living is much
more affordable than European or even local options. Students, unfortunately, have no idea about
1 http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/study/articles/study_abroad_in_asia_the_rise.shtml
3. Asia or Asian study abroad which turns students off from the prospects of going. As a conduit
for this research, nine students that have and will study abroad in Asia were interviewed about
their experiences in Asia as well as some things they would like to see in either the education
system or the study abroad programs. After conducting interviews and research, Geneseo can
work towards changing the stagnant growth of study abroad by addressing two facets: promotion
of Asia as well as study abroad in Asia and program design. The promotion of Asia/study abroad
in Asia will be through scholarships and extracurricular activities while program design will
focus on changes to the study abroad program, study abroad department, and changes to some
the education requirements to that students will go abroad. The recommendations hopefully will
be able to increase interest in study abroad in Asia at SUNY Geneseo, which has a strong
potential to grow like other programs have in the United States.
Promotion
In order for study abroad in Asia to be an option for students when deciding on the
location of their study abroad experience, one thing that must be done is to promote studying
abroad there as well as the continent in it of itself. To improve this, there would be three
recommendations as to do this. One would be to work to change the ideas of the continent of
Asia for students on campus. Another improvement would be to advertise Asian specific study
abroad scholarships. Lastly, extracurricular activities may encourage students to learn more
about a culture that is not theirs.
The first recommendation would be to try and change the ideas of Asia and Asian study
abroad opportunities before study abroad. When selecting study abroad opportunities, most
students would rather be in a familiar situation than think outside of the box. Some of the top
4. reasons why students wanted to go to the continent of choice for study abroad was that there
were no language issues and that it was easy to travel around. It seems that working to change
the ideas of Asia would be difficult based on the upbringing of the person. If the person that
wanted to go for a study abroad experience grew up without being exposed to Asian culture, they
would tend to choose a more traditional and familiar European experience. In follow-up studies 6
out of 9 students that studied abroad in Asia had a prior interest in the continent whether it is
because of their cultural background or due to general interest. The other three students said that
they had an open mind about going since they have already visited Europe. In a study performed
by the Institute of International Education which explored perspectives and strategies for
expanding US study abroad to Indonesia, the number one factor that will help institutions
increase the number of programs and/or number of students studying abroad in Indonesia was by
increasing knowledge and awareness about Indonesia on campus2. This can be done in a variety
of ways such as academic programs as well as extracurricular activities which will be addressed
later on in the paper. One example where this has worked was with a Geneseo student who is
currently in the application process for study abroad. This student is of Asian descent but is
adopted and she grew up rejecting her family’s attempt in learning about her culture of origin.
However, she developed her interest for Asia when she came to Geneseo. There, a Chinese class
and the Geneseo Chinese Culture Club helped develop her interest in Asia. This student, while
having some sort of Asian influence, developed her interest at school. While this is not common
due to her specific situation, her example is able to show that development in interest in Asia can
be nurtured at Geneseo. However, based on upbringing, it can be difficult to shift students’
interest towards Asia.
2 file:///C:/Users/Victor%20Wang/Downloads/Expanding-Study-Abroad-Indonesia.pdf
5. Another promotion that could be done would be to publicize scholarship opportunities.
Students may be unaware of the possibilities of these scholarships which would allow more
doors to open for these students. As a university, Geneseo hosts a lot of scholarship opportunities
for study abroad which can be found on the study abroad website. There are eleven different
study abroad scholarships that offered directly through the school, eight of which can pertain to
study abroad in Asia. Students should also be encouraged to apply to outside scholarships that
will encourage students to go to Asia. Some examples of these study abroad scholarships are the
Freeman-Asia scholarship, the Boren scholarship, the Gilman scholarship, the Bridging
scholarship, the Darmasiswa scholarship, and/or the Morgan Stanley scholarships for study in
Japan. There are a multitude of options for Geneseo students and there may be a few changes
that would need to be put in place to improve promoting this. One change would be to set up a
table at the study abroad office of the study abroad fair with information about the different types
of study abroad scholarships available. Many students are unaware of the opportunities that are
offered to them simply because they were not told about them. Another change could be to
arrange a scholarship specifically for study abroad in Asia. Currently, there is only one option
which is the one set up with Sogang University in Korea. In the Indonesian study, 61 percent of
students cited that a major factor that would help send students to Indonesia were to include
more study abroad scholarships for students. Currently, Geneseo has seven different broad
scholarships that cover almost all of the continents, however, maybe one of these scholarships
can be Asia related to help garner interest in study abroad in Asia.
Another way to promote Asian study abroad would be with extracurricular activities that
have the potential to interest students in Asia or Asian culture. Three things that may cultivate
interest would be by school sponsored trips, clubs on campus, and a school sponsored events.
6. A school sponsored trip to Asia may help garner interest and establish comfort with the
idea of going to Asia. One of the factors as to why students chose the specific continent that they
wanted to go to for study abroad was because they have been to the country. Also, students who
have studied abroad in Asia as well as have visited Asia in the past expressed less qualms and
more confidence when going there. If the school sponsored a trip or encouraged a trip to Asia as
an excursion for first contact, more students may find a study abroad experience in Asia less
daunting. One such trip is one sponsored by Project Pengyou, a club on the Geneseo campus that
is working to garner students’ interest in Asia with their ultimate goal to be to send students
abroad. The trip is called the US-China student summit which was developed in the spirit of
President Obama’s 100,000 Strong initiative. The program gives the opportunities to network
with students from China and the US, to immerse oneself in Chinese culture, to develop
leadership skills, and to possibly enhance the future of US-China relations. One of the biggest
reasons why students do not want to go to Asia is due to the language barrier. However, during
the trip, there will be English interpreters for students which would help them deal with the
language barrier.
In addition to a school sponsored trip, clubs on campus can also interest students in Asia
or Asian culture. When asked why students did not want to go to Asia for study abroad, the
second highest answer was because students thought the culture was too different. Currently
there are three different cultural groups on campus specific to Asia: Geneseo Chinese Culture
Club (GCCC), Japanese Culture Club (JCC), and Korean American Student Association (KASA).
However, there may be other clubs that can be introduced that would develop more interest in
Asian culture such as a Food Club that could be introduced to new cuisines. Another
improvement within the clubs that can encourage students to go abroad which would be have a
7. club that may relate to a study abroad program to make announcements of the study abroad
program as well as offer a scholarship every year to help send one of their members on that trip.
Lastly, hosting school sponsored events that can garner interest in Asia could increase the
potential number of students for study abroad. One way would be able to host speakers that
could offer additional information about Asia for students that were interested. Another school
sponsored event that can be implemented would be to invite outside Asian specific groups to
perform. There can be Asian music, dance or theater that can be invited that can get students to
change preconceived notions on a culture they do not really know much about. GCCC had
thought about inviting Asian American comedian Eliot Chang to perform at Geneseo which
could have interested even the most disinterested student. However students may not be
interested in these events which might result in students not even attending these events which
can potentially spark an interest in Asia. Therefore, as an incentive, professors should offer extra
credit opportunities for students that go to school sponsored events or club sponsored events
(such as China Night for GCCC and Japan Knight for JCC).
Promoting Asia and Asian culture are big factors in introducing Asia as an option for
students looking to study abroad. However, Geneseo has the opportunity to work to change the
ideas of Asia before study abroad, the ability to advertise scholarship activities, and the ability to
expand extracurricular activities. Instead of bombarding students about Asia’s study abroad
opportunity, it would be good to nurture their growth by promoting these opportunities.
Program Design
Another thing that must be done to help students decide to go to Asia for a study abroad
experience is to make these programs more educationally attractive. Many students do not know
8. how a study abroad experience in Asia can fit into their educational schematic so therefore
students dismissed the Asian option before even considering it. It was found that the student’s
number one reason for selecting the continent that they wanted to go to was because of the
program. There are three recommendations for Geneseo as well as the study abroad department
can implement that can garner students interest: changes to the study abroad experience, changes
to the study abroad programs and office, and a change to some of the educational aspects for
students.
One thing that can be changed is the study abroad experiences for students so that they
would go abroad. As mentioned previously, the program is the top reason why students selected
their continent of choice. One way to do this is to educate the student about what entails the
program which includes the language of instruction. Also mentioned previously, the top reasons
why students did not want to study abroad in Asia was due to the perceived language barrier.
However, English is the language of instruction at almost all of the institutions that are in Asia.
Another suggestion to educate the student about what goes along with the program would be to
staff programs with popular professors or knowledgeable professors in the field of Asia to teach
these programs (if they so happen to be intercession programs). Popular professors seemed to be
a draw for students as two out of five students interviewed in the Hong Kong program said that
Distinguished Teaching Professor of English, Ron Herzman was a draw factor when they opted
for the program. In terms of knowledgeable professors, a few students that were interviewed
expressed that the program would have been more successful if there were staff/professors that
were more experienced in Asia. By incorporating these two factors, students may be more
attracted to Asian study abroad programs.
9. In order to encourage more students to go to Asia, the study abroad department at
Geneseo may need to change. The first change would be to offer more intercession sessions in
Asia which will increase student attendance. In a study done about study abroad, it was found
that the majority (56%) of study abroad participants chose to study for about 8 weeks or less. It
seems that by increasing more intercession study abroad activities, students may be drawn to it
because it would not take a toll on finishing their degrees. One example where intercession
sessions have succeeded in encouraging students to go and study abroad in Asia is at the
University of Iowa. Although a majority of their study abroad in Asia has seen stagnant growth,
one exception to the trend is in India. This program called the UI’s India Winterim program that
is run in the English Language, has seen an intensification of participation from 41
undergraduates to 119. If the study abroad department were able to offer more intercession
programs, they could also possible see a rise in participation for students who could only fit in a
program of that sort in their educational plan. Another thing that the Study Abroad department
can do is to also form more relationships with Asian universities since they are also trying to
attract more western students. Examples are with Waseda University in Japan and Korea
University in South Korea. There is often an imbalance in the US-Asia educational relations
where the US takes a lot of Asian students but do not send many students over to Asia. To
correct this imbalance, Waseda University planned to increase its annual international student
acceptance from 2700 to 8000 in five years. To get students to go, Waseda has been
implementing new programs in English, a semester enrollment system, and an increased amount
of opportunities for international students to interact with Japanese students through different
events and intentional conversation. Korea University is no different as they hope that by
promoting their offerings, that they can attract more US students. They hope to promote the fact
10. that 35% of all courses are taught in English as well as that they are working on the Korea
University Buddy Assistants which would help ease a foreigner to life in the country.
Universities abroad in Asian countries are trying to accommodate American students so that the
Asian option may be an attractive which universities at home such as Geneseo can take
advantage of that. However, if relationships with Asian universities cannot be established, the
study abroad office should emphasize the diverse amount of programs offered at other SUNY
institutions upon first contact with a prospective student. Lastly, the Institute of International
Education offered a guide to expanding US Study Abroad to India and under their
recommendations; they would endorse four main groups of programs: grow knowledge about the
country, promote peace and understanding, develop leaders in global development, and focus on
academic and personal growth3. Geneseo has the ability to accomplish these types of programs
and doing so can encourage students to go abroad in Asia.
Lastly, there could be changes to the education aspects for students so that they were
willing to go. Students oftentimes do not know how a study abroad experience can fit into their
requirements to graduate and so they often overlook the idea of going to Asia. However, there
can be some adjustments to the educational system here at Geneseo that could allow students to
go. One way to change would be to develop an Asian language or study department that would
help improve popularity. An example of this improvement was found at the University of Florida
where they have seen rapid growth in the participation of Asian destinations for study abroad.
The University of Florida stated that one of the factors as to why study abroad in Asia has
increased is the students are realizing China’s importance in the global markets which has seen
their Asian language departments maxed out. By offering the opportunity to learn the native
language of an emerging market, students will be intrigued by that possibility. Presently,
3 file:///C:/Users/Victor%20Wang/Downloads/Expanding-Study-Abroad-India-final-version.pdf
11. Geneseo only offers Japanese and Arabic only in the 100 level and Chinese up to the 200 level.
Students would benefit in an increased funding of Asian language education which could see an
uptick in student participation in study abroad. Another change that can possibly be implemented
would be to allow general education classes to be fulfilled abroad. Currently at Geneseo, only
Humanities and foreign language classes can be taken abroad. However, there are possibilities to
fulfill other general education requirements abroad such as social sciences, fine arts, other world
civilizations, etc. Lastly, students should be able to offer more classes on Asian studies. Students
that were interviewed that have gone to study abroad have expressed interest in taking some
classes of diverse content. For example, an accounting major said that she would like to see a
class on expanding markets which she may be able to go abroad to fulfill that requirement. By
offering a more diverse palette of classes that gave students the option of going abroad, students
would be keener in participating. Also, of the classes that are offered about Asia, departments
should allow some classes to be offered more frequently. For example, there is a Southeast Asian
anthropology class that was only offered in the spring every other spring. Students should be
offered an array of options in terms of their classes that has the possibility to help encourage
study abroad in Asia. Finally, academic departments should connect with Geneseo alumnus that
may be working abroad to allow students the possibility to complete an internship with their
company.
Conclusion
Geneseo students are presented an array of options for study abroad but students do not
often opt for the Asian option. From my initial findings through data from the study abroad
office and through personal surveys, it was discovered that students do not even consider a study
12. abroad option in Asia when they begin their search. This is due to the student’s initial disinterest
in the continent perhaps because of misconceived notions. However, based on studies, Geneseo
can work to shift the ideas of study abroad in Asia through the promotion of Asia as well as the
program design for the study abroad programs. Based on research of what has worked for other
school programs or suggestions from students who have gone to study abroad in Asia, I would
offer a few recommendations:
Immediate Changes
Promote Scholarship Opportunities Offered to Students: Offer a sheet or even a table at the
study abroad fair or study abroad office that will specifically address questions about
scholarships that are offered to students. This should also include outside scholarships such as
the Freeman-Asia, Gilman, Boren etc.
Setting up a directory of study abroad programs detailing which programs are taught in
English and which are not: Geneseo students would rather go and study abroad in a country
where English is spoken. Due to student’s ideas of Asia, they may think that classes will not be
offered in English. By handing out a paper at the study abroad fair or the study abroad office that
divides English speaking programs from non-English speaking programs, students can be better
educated about the language of instruction for programs in Asia.
Work with academic departments that will inspire students to further or change their ideas
of Asia by encouraging them to attend club meetings or special lectures: Classes taught in
the Spanish department encourage students to attend Tertulias, a Spanish conversation club, for
extra credit points. Classes in Anthropology, Theater, etc made it mandatory for students to
attend Kimchee and Chitlins this year for class. Asian studies courses were also required to
attend a lecture by Rochester Zen Buddhist Center’s Roshi. If there were more lectures, panel
13. discussions, special guests, etc that had the potential to increase interest in Asia, academic
departments should make attendance mandatory or offer extra credit for attendance. By
suggesting or mandating attendance, students who otherwise would not have gone to the event
on their own, may be inspired or encouraged to study Asia which can perhaps lead to them to
consider study abroad in Asia. The same can be said for club meetings to GCCC, JCC, or KASA
who put on a club event every semester.
Inviting more outside speakers for lectures, panel discussion, etc whose expertise is in Asia
which can garner interest: As mentioned in the previous recommendation, academic
departments should encourage the attendance of special speakers by either making attendance
mandatory or for extra credit. By inviting more or well-known speakers to talk about Asia, the
talks can generate more interest in the continent for some students.
Bringing in Asian or Asian American groups for a performance : There are Asian American
comedians, dance groups, music groups and theater groups that can be invited for an
extracurricular event for students to attend which can develop interest in the culture. This can be
SA sponsored and could perhaps change the perception people may have on Asia or Asian-
Americans.
Staff intercession programs with popular professors and professors who were more
experienced in the country: Two out of five students said that the professor teaching the course
was one of the big reasons why they decided to go. Students also said that they would have
appreciated programs more if Asia was their expertise.
Allow some classes to be offered more often: A Southeast Asian anthropology class is only
offered for one semester every other year. Classes like that which have the possibility to increase
students interest in Asia should be offered more frequently.
14. Long-Term Solutions
Rename or change the requirement for a scholarship offered at Geneseo:Scholarships can
increase a student’s interest in going abroad to Asia. By changing the general requirements of a
scholarship to being more Asia-specific, it can garner more student interest.
Add an elevatedChinese class: Chinese and Japanese is currently only being taught up to level
202. Perhaps offering a 300 level class will inspire students to go abroad to fulfill these courses.
These courses can also be added to the Asian Studies minor that is already offered to students.
Offering more intercession programs in Asia: The University of Iowa said that their fastest
growing and most popular Asian program is their winter intercession in India. These types of
study abroad programs (intercessions) were the most popular. Intercession classes also do not
have to only be a humanities class but perhaps a couple more creative options. An example
would be the winter program in Buenos Aires.
Form more relationships with Asian Universities: Asian universities are also trying to attract
more students for their international student programs. Establishing more relationships perhaps
can lead to more opportunities to find a way where students can go to Asia and fulfill specific
course necessities.
Establish an Asian studies or Asian language department: These departments will improve
popularity based on the example set by the University of Florida. This is obviously a difficult
option to fulfill but can be done gradually. If it were to improve over time, there could probably
be a higher amount of students interested in the subject, more classes offered for this subject
matter, and a better chance for credits abroad to count for majors in Geneseo.
