Parents
Paris? Accra? Shanghai? Santiago? As it turns out, coming to Iowa City is only the first step in a long educational journey!
Last year more than 800 UI undergraduate students studied abroad. While this means that about 19% of our students have a significant international experience before graduating, the UI wants to many more students to take advantage of the opportunity: the university has set of goal of 1000 undergraduates studying abroad per year by 2010.
Why? Studying abroad is an eye-opening, transformative experience. We encourage students to step through doors opened by the university to the larger world, to test classroom theories against practical realities, to use language skills 24/7 rather than an hour every other day, to experience other cultures directly. Students invariably return more independent, self-confident, flexible and tolerant. It’s a great learning experience.
The UI offers summer, semester and academic year programs in 30 countries on 6 continents. We also allow UI students to participate in programs offered by other U.S. or foreign universities, multiplying the possibilities 100 fold. We want students to choose programs that are appropriate for them given their own academic and personal objectives.
We trust you will be supportive of your son/daughter’s plans to study abroad (and they will need your support, before, during and after). This section of our web site is designed to address some of the questions you may have. If there are other questions you think we should address, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Janis Perkins, Director
Office for Study Abroad
University of Iowa