My Time in Edinburgh

My Time in Edinburgh

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This is my last week in Edinburgh and writing this article put me in a reflective mood over the last 10 weeks and how they could influence my life decisions going forward.  Studying film during this Summer of 2016 program has been a joy, watching films I would never see at home, learning about the vast and complicated Scottish history, and experiencing new forms of travel such as a train.  It would be naïve to say that everyone should study abroad as it does not necessarily fit in with every student’s personal plan be they academic, personal or financial.  However, the world is shrinking which has become more apparent by being in Scotland; cultures are clashing and entertainment is constantly shared.  Studying abroad prepares students for the globalization of the world while also increasing their independence.

In education circles, studying abroad is understood to increase students perceived independence of themselves and their “cultural openness.”  A study in the article “Understanding the Role of Openness to Experience in Study Abroad Students” published in the Journal of College Student Development in 2015 issued a survey to 59 students focusing on critical thinking, race and cultural understanding.  Overall they found that students’ cultural understanding and critical thinking increased, however students who initially found themselves as having a “high-openness” said they decreased in their critical thinking.  The paper notes that it could be due to whom students previously compared themselves to, giving more realistic answers, and/or facing culturally different situations.  In the study, all of the students changed and assessed themselves differently before and after their study abroad.  Personally I could not say my cultural openness has increased as I do not believe I ever witnessed a full culture clash, which could also be due to the lack of Scottish citizens we met.  Yet this does not say that I am more close-minded, but I have recognized gaps in my knowledge.  I can easily admit that I am horrible at learning about the history and politics of a place, even the United States, however during the beginning of our stay in Edinburgh the Brexit campaigns were fully underway and I was not completely aware what it would mean.  I would say that there are some holes in my knowledge of culture that I would like to fill, but also recognize I will most likely not learn more about the politics unless the topics were more relevant to me. Overall, if forced to decide I would probably say I am more culturally open because being here has made me more willing to learn about Scotland, although before coming I rarely thought about the country.

Three case studies conducted by Nicole Tyner, who was an International Studies Coordinator at Hope College, in her 2013 article “International Cooperation: The Study Abroad Experience” gives case studies of three students and discusses a broad background of study abroad, stating reasons to go include to increase language proficiency and increase employability.  She also states the challenges of going abroad which could be costs, or lack of credits received.  Which I can relate to as I almost did not attend this program due to the need to schedule the completion of my major.  In the three case studies each person lived with someone from the country they were in and experienced the culture first hand.  They had culture clashes and were forced to reevaluate how they understood the world, such as the student who studied in Tel Aviv for a semester said “I learned to question more things and not be so fast to agree with an idea – as there are many ways to see a subject matter.”  Additionally, he stated how as an American he perceived Israel in a skewed light due to American media.  All of the students stated that they gained independence from having to live and navigate a new city on top of having to learn what is appropriate of the culture.

I can say that my experiences in Edinburgh has increased my independence, but alternately argue that this goal can be achieved without traveling to another country, as I gained my initial independence by living alone in Pittsburgh for a term.  As for a culture clash, I did not feel any extreme difference to being home.  If anything, I recognized how American culture has invaded Scotland as random people I have met over the term know as much about the 2016 American election as I do if not more.  One very noticeable culture trait of many Scottish citizens is a sense of National pride, tied in with a knowledge of the history their country.  Sentiments are tied in with long feuds that have lasted for centuries and people, at least the ones who I have met, recognize that the little press junkets and the people on television advertising for an idea do not always tell the truth or have everyone’s interests at heart.  While these are three specific cases the research and survey from students who have gone abroad confirm such.

The amount of American college students studying abroad has been increasing over the years.  Between the years of 1989 and 2014 travel increased 5% to a total of 10% students who studied abroad.  Part of the reason for more students going abroad is due to an increase in programs offered to take students abroad in response to the increased globalization of the world.  The current top reasons for studying abroad have been stated to be to increase language skills and increased employability papers, which study the effect of study abroad on students.  However, Kimberly Franklin, who was the director Student Services and Alumni Relations at Johns Hopkins when this was published, conducted a study to see if either of those reasons were fulfilled.  She asked 52, class of 1989 alumni of study abroad programs at Dickinson College how study abroad affected their career lives.  In conclusion 64 percent said they believed their study abroad affected their career achievements and 60 percent said their program influenced their “professional ethics.” .  However, the study did not state what their majors were or what field the survey respondents worked.  Another article which questions whether study abroad is becoming “the norm” states while study abroad is increasing it is not for everyone on the job front. Petzold and Peter stated that students of economics were much more likely to go abroad than engineers, and as such going abroad increased economics students’ employability and did not affect engineering students much.  From personal conversations with professors, if anything, going abroad on non-major related programs can decrease employability because the time could have been spent either conducting research or with an industry internship.  However, they focused primarily on those two specific fields.  What both articles prove and state is that studying abro

Study abroad affects every student differently, however it most often affects one’s independence, cultural understanding, and career choices later in life.  In doing so students are preparing themselves as countries becomes smaller through shared entertainment and tied economies.  Personally as an engineering sciences major at Dartmouth this programs makes me want to pursue film more seriously and on a side note live in Scotland.  I know participating in this program definitely made my scheduling of other difficult, and that it does minimal to increase my chances of getting an internship.  Overall, I have enjoyed my time in Scotland and hope to comeback as soon as possible.

 

Bibliography

Martin, Daniela, Jennifer Katz-Buonincontro, and David Livert. “Understanding the Role of Openness to Experience in Study Abroad Students.” Journal of College Student Development, vol. 56, no. 6, 2015., pp. 619.

Tyner, Nicole. “International cooperation: the study abroad experience.” Michigan Academician, vol. 41, no. 3, 2013., pp. 377.