Study Abroad Prepares Students For Global Marketplace

By Saswato R. Das

Tufts ME major Kristin Hamilton, who studied in England, poses in front of the Mouth of Truth in Rome during one of her sojourns.

As corporate mergers, such as the one announced earlier this year between Chrysler and Daimler-Benz, ignore borders and usher in the new millennium, a larger fraction of tomorrow's engineers will build their careers stepping across continents and oceans, transcending geo-political lines. In keeping with this trend, exchange programs in engineering have proliferated in recent years, giving engineering students the opportunity to become attuned to the changing nature of the profession.

Aparajita Mazumder, director of International Programs at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor, said that many universities now consider it a mission to educate engineers for the global technical environment of the 21st century. "I would like to see us make the concept of the 'global engineer' a reality in its true sense-engineers with linguistic capability, cultural insight and technical strength, crossing boundaries and playing leading roles in the technical environment of the new century," she said.

Frederick Nelson, a Tufts University ME professor and director of Tuft's ME exchange programs, agreed. "Our mission is to generate, disseminate, and advance knowledge within the ever-changing international, multicultural and technological context of today's world," he said.

A semester or two abroad is an experience not to be missed, says Prem Mukherjee, a ME undergraduate at UM, who recently spent six months at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. His view was echoed by exchange students from Iowa State, Georgia Tech, Tufts and Northwestern.

"Go for it without thinking twice. It will probably be the best experience of your life," advises Mukherjee.

While the students gain international work and course experience that looks good on a resume, most do not neglect the fun aspect of a sojourn abroad. They travel, hang out in cafes, and soak up the local culture. Friendships are forged for life. For many, this rich mix of personal experiences is the most attractive part of being away from home.

"I visited seven other countries while I was studying in England. I would never have been able to see so many wonderful places if I hadn't studied abroad," said Kristin Hamilton, a ME junior at Tufts, who spent the first five months of this year at Sussex University, Brighton, England.

Often students end up taking a lighter course load so that they have more time to pursue leisure activities. Mukherjee said, "The advantage was that the classes transferred back pass/fail, which made the semester extremely easy and allowed for time to explore the area and submerge in the culture." He ended up spending a lot of time hiking around Australia and traveling almost every weekend (see A Wild Day in the Tropics).

Joel Hartter, another UM undergraduate who is majoring in ME and German, and who spent a year studying at the Technical University of Munich, said, "Travel is not like in the United States, where you need a car to get around most everywhere. In Europe, the distances are a lot shorter, but yet, the terrain and cultures change so often. I can jump on the train for a weekend and go anywhere I want. I love the freedom."

The academic experience, on the other hand, can be mixed. Although the methods of instruction abroad are often similar to those at U.S. institutions, some U.S. students find that there is less personal attention outside class. Mukherjee, for example, found it "difficult to get the help I needed."

Some thought the class sizes were too large. "It was usual to find 70-80 students in a lecture, whereas back home, I was used to classes of at most 30 students," said David Hodge, a ME student at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., who spent a year studying in England.

These experiences could well be because many students opted for an overseas course load that left ample time for experiencing the culture.

By the same token, Cliff Denson, a ME junior from Iowa State University, Ames, who went to Singapore recently as an intern for Delphi Packard Electric Systems, says, "I was incredibly surprised at the caliber of the project I was given. I coordinated the work of 12 engineers in Singapore and the U. S. We were looking at a new wiring system for the 2000 Corvette."

Financing Study Abroad

Students who want to study abroad needn't burn holes in their wallets, since many exchange programs compare favorably in cost with those at one's home institution.

When an exchange program is involved, there is sometimes a quid pro quo, as is the case at UM.

"Our student pays University of Michigan tuition and goes abroad in exchange for the international student who pays tuition at his or her home institution and studies at Michigan," said Mazumder, UM's International Programs director.

When the study is on a "one way" basis, UM works with certain overseas schools to "create the budget for the student and the student pays directly to the foreign institution," says Mazumder.

Some students can even retain financial aid. Hamilton of Tufts, who studied in England, said, "Since this was a Tufts exchange program, I did not lose any of my financial aid. However, if I had chosen a non-Tufts program, I would have lost all of my aid."

Difficult Moments

Northwestern's Hodge said of his year at the University of Birmingham, "You can't compare the personal growth aspect of being out there on your own to anything else."

Being able to overcome many an obstacle, such as haggling with train conductors in the wee hours of the night, and purchasing food at places where he didn't speak the language, was a real confidence builder.

Hartter of Michigan echoed these feelings. "I learned to function by myself. I learned to find things when I needed," he said.

In a more career-minded vein, Hartter noted, "The world is becoming smaller and companies are seeking employees with international backgrounds. It is a definite advantage over other candidates to speak another language. Even if you don't use the language, you still have proven that you know how to communicate with other cultures and can express your ideas and be understood. That, I think, is very important."

Perhaps Nelson, who heads Tufts ME exchange programs, put it best when he said, "We need engineers who can lead projects and programs that encompass many disciplines, many cultures, and the political and economic infrastructures of many countries. What better way to prepare for these opportunities than to spend time as a student living and learning overseas?"