Tonight I had the pleasure of listening to the very enthusiastic Professor Daniel Schwarz. He has written numerous books about various subjects and is the winner of the Russell Distinguished Teaching Award in the College of Arts. He discussed his new book, How to Succeed in College and Beyond: The Art of Learning.
Beginning with the crucial freshman year of college and continuing through the senior year, he discussed that his book offers suggestions on how to negotiate the challenges of each year as well as suggestions about specific issues such as time management and whether to study abroad for a term or even a year. In specific chapters he addresses how to choose classes, why the humanities are essential, and how to prepare for the future after graduation.
One section that I found most interesting was about the suggestion for college juniors to study abroad. Having lived abroad in Finland as an exchange student before coming to Cornell, I feel that I have experienced some of the points he made and could not agree more.
Schwarz stated, “ If at all possible, take a junior term or year abroad and participate in the Global Village.”
I feel that going abroad made me a better citizen by offering me a more cosmopolitan perspective on how the world works than I could have gotten at home. Some of this came from meeting students from other countries. By encountering new challenges, I learned more about myself. Schwarz stated that students usually return with greater self-confidence, poise, and maturity. Nothing teaches you how to think better and at a higher level than new experiences and new situations.
Living in a different culture outside my comfort zone, my learning took new forms. I was not simply reading history, but I was immersing myself in another culture. My assumptions about how the world is organized politically and socially were challenged. I discovered that many of the truths that I was taught and take for granted were questioned.
Learning about other cultures and languages is best done, in my judgment, through travel. Students from other countries need to visit the US and we need to visit other countries. Travelling is education by life experience and complements education by books and professors. While abroad, students should travel as much as possible. Be sure to visit as many countries as you can and to see as much of your host country as you can. My year abroad turned me into a lifetime traveller.