The Study Abroad Possibility
Chances are that your student is hearing chatter about study abroad opportunities. This is a difficult decision for students. Should I go or should I stay? Make sure it's the right decision for your student. Here are five great reasons for students to study abroad:

1. International experience can help students gain self-confidence, self-reliance, and independence. Living abroad requires the development of certain life skills students can't nurture without this unique opportunity.
   
2. International experience helps students gain fluency in another language, as they are immersed in the culture. Living abroad can also help them satisfy college language requirements.
   
3. International experience is an impressive resume note, especially in today's competitive job market and global society.
   
4. International experience helps students truly understand what it means to be a citizen of their own country, while gaining new world perspectives and exploring different beliefs and values.
   
5. International experience offers a one-of-a-kind structured opportunity to explore a new country with their peers, while engaging from both an intellectual and a social perspective.

However, studying abroad is not the end all, be all. For some, choosing to study abroad could actually hamper their education. Be sure to encourage your student to talk with folks on campus — there are plenty of resources available to help you in making this big decision.

Current Top Study Abroad Destinations
Open Doors 2007, a report on international education published annually by the Institute of International Education, lists the 20 most popular destinations for U.S. students studying abroad as:

• United Kingdom
  
• Italy
  
• Spain
  
• France
  
• Australia
  
• Mexico
  
• China
  
• Germany
  
• Costa Rica
  
• Ireland
  
• Czech Republic
  
• Japan
  
• Greece
  
• Argentina
  
• Austria
  
• Chile
  
• New Zealand
  
• South Africa
  
• Brazil
  
• Ecuador

There's a growing interest in non-traditional destinations, plus the number of U.S. students studying abroad has increased by 8.5%.
Source: opendoors.iienetwork.org