Tufts' study abroad program - one of the University's hallmarks in global education - is at a peak, with the percentage of student participants outnumbering all but a handful of other research institutions around the country. Globalization has always filtered through the Tufts community, providing an international component that helps bring national prestige to the University.
Tufts ranked eighth nationwide in 1998-99 among research institutions in percentage of students sent abroad, according to statistics published by the Institute of International Education.
With recent improvements made in the Office of Programs Abroad's system of record keeping, the University now has comprehensive statistics regarding abroad participation. Each school - from the School of Nutrition to Talloires to Fletcher - made an effort to gather the data, which helped boost Tufts in the rankings.
"Tufts has always presented a high level of participation [in Study Abroad programs], but now we have a more accurate picture of how we stand in relation to other institutions," said Associate Dean of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne, who compiled the data at the conclusion of last year.
With 22.8 percent of its undergraduate and graduate population studying abroad in 1998-99, Tufts ranks higher than other research institutions characterized by an international relations flair, such Georgetown University.
Although another 12.5 percent of the population would be needed to catch up to New York's Yeshiva University, which ranks first on the list, Tufts' figures are very comparable to four of the universities above it, which include the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University.
With its well-known dedication to international relations and a pronounced emphasis on foreign languages, many students apply to Tufts with an overseas experience in mind for their junior or senior year.
"Even before I came to Tufts, I wanted to study abroad," sophomore Robina Bhasin said. Bhasin plans to spend two semesters away from Tufts - one in Chile to complement her Latin American Studies minor and another in Madrid to experience European culture.
Bhasin cited the popularity of the international relations major and the importance of the study abroad program at Tufts as two determining factors in her college choice.
According to Bayne, when students are asked to fill out an evaluation of their experiences abroad, the most frequent answer in terms of overall satisfaction is "it was the best year of my life."
Junior Howard Wolke, who went on a non-Tufts program to Israel last semester, repeated Bayne's words verbatim.
"I learned things I could have never learned before," said Wolke, who is majoring in comparative religion and history.
On campus, Tufts imposes a language requirement of six semesters on undergraduates (or three foreign languages and three culture courses), as well as one world civilizations class.
"The undergraduate curriculum at Tufts has always had an international, global reach," Provost Sol Gittleman said. This is the reason that the Olin foundation gave Tufts a grant to finance the F. W. Olin Center for Language and Culture, he added. The foundation traditionally reserves such grants to recognize the best aspects of the receiving school.
"[The requirements] inspire curiosity about other parts of the world," Bayne said.
Besides the more comprehensive tracking of statistics by the Office of Programs Abroad, actual numbers have also increased. Travel, in general, has become more common with advents in communications, and a developing trend towards higher education in the United States has also inspired many students to explore new cultures in person.
The junior year has typically been the year of choice to travel because, by that point, students have selected a major and can continue to take courses overseas while still having time to make up any other University requirements during their senior year.
The study abroad office encourages students to choose Tufts abroad programs. There are usually eight different cities to choose from in the Tufts program, though the Tufts in Ghana program has been suspended for the past two semesters. Tufts-run sites are generally easier for student in terms of getting course credits, since they transfer automatically. The University also benefits financially when students use its programs instead of going elsewhere.
There are, however, numerous non-Tufts options available for students who prefer to take other courses or explore parts of the world that Tufts has not yet settled.
The Office of Programs Abroad holds two weekly information sessions throughout the year, in which representatives from the different programs present both Tufts and non-Tufts and returning students recount their experiences in other parts of the world. Pizza parties at the Campus Center, videos, brochures, and a website are also used by the study abroad office to advertise and attract students.
