How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
NYU was named the front-runner in study abroad program participation in the Institute of International Education's Open Doors 2009 report. According to the report, 3,395 NYU students studied abroad in the 2007-08 school year.
Professor Ulrich Baer, vice provost for globalization and multicultural affairs, thinks the popularity is due to a seamless system.
"We set up our own centers, hire our own faculty and every course provided is approved by the directors and the chairs of departments," Baer said.
The Institute's report states that the most popular study abroad sites are the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. NYU has also seen this trend. According to Baer, the most popular sites are London and Florence.
"These cities provide regular courses and more internship opportunities than any other site," Baer said. "The most important factor is the courses provided at the locations in terms of the range of courses and their quality."
Christopher Nicolussi, senior director of student support and services in NYU's Office of Global Programs, said student survey results have revealed that location is the main reason for studying abroad.
"Students are drawn to the location, and the university has chosen culturally rich cities for these programs," Nicolussi said.
According to Baer, NYU has been implementing strategies to make studying abroad a feasible program for everyone. He said students studying math and computer science find it harder to study abroad, so more math courses will be added to the London site.
More scholarships will also be offered.
"Scholarships are critical so that it gets no more expensive to study abroad," Baer said.
NYU is also looking into more ways to finance study abroad candidates and adding additional courses to the New York campus in order to prepare students for studying abroad.
Nicolussi reiterated the importance of studying abroad in culturally rich cities.
"We live in a cross-national world," Nicolussi said. "Businesses are no longer in national boundaries and that's in media, business and the arts. Therefore, it's important for students to experience different countries. There is international influence in everything we do now."
