The long-term effects of study abroad experiences on career, educational, and travel choices

Thousands of U.S. students travel to other countries each year to participate in study programs offered either by their home or the target country institutions. This study explores the effects that these study abroad experiences have on decisions that returning students make with regard to their future educational goals, career choices, and further foreign travel. Using the alumni database of Cultural Experiences Abroad, a student travel organization, data were gathered from 185 primarily undergraduate students who spent from two weeks to one year as participants in a study abroad program. The students were from various geographic locations in the United States and Canada, and represented over 120 U.S. academic institutions. The survey consisted of an on-line questionnaire that included topics such as interest in working in international companies, studying other cultures, and traveling abroad both prior to and following the study abroad program. All students completed their study abroad during the past five years