I get asked sometimes why I'm spending so much time abroad. I've spent a total of one year abroad so far (last summer + fall, this fall), and I'm planning on coming back to Korea for another year after I graduate. As a result, I'm delaying my graduation by one year and grad school a few more years. Couldn't I just spend my summers abroad and call it good? Indeed when I originally wanted to spend time abroad, my parents were initially concerned about me delaying graduation and graduate school.
So why spend a semester abroad? First and foremost, for language learners spending time abroad is essential. It's true that there will always be the geniuses who can pick up languages from textbooks/Rosetta Stone and become fluent without setting foot in the respective country. But for everyone else, there's really no way to become even remotely competent in a foreign language without having the constant immersion in a language sphere that going abroad affords. I took Japanese for 7 years and Spanish for 4 years in middle school and high school, and I can't really speak a word of either today. Compare this to the 2 years of Korean I've taken. I definitely don't consider myself that great by any means, but I can least function in Korea, being able to convey pretty much anything I need to express. I have also developed strong friendships here with Korean friends relying only on Korean. The only difference? - spending time abroad. It's amazing how much being abroad helps. It really doubles / triples/ quadruples the time spent learning. No longer is language learning limited to speaking to one native-speaking professor for one hour a day. When studying abroad - the world becomes your classroom - every interaction with a store clerk, every conversation with a friend, every look at a subway advertisement becomes a learning opportunity. I'm convinced that I've learned more from my interactions outside of the classroom than from my class.
Other people have asked me: why study on the Light Fellowship more than once? The simple answer is: why not? There is really nothing else like it anywhere else: I haven't come across any other fellowship that fully funds language study in East Asia for students of any program of study. Most other scholarship programs have very rigid requirements - requiring a major in Korean Studies or the intention to study at a Korean university. The Light Fellowship 'gets' that the benefits of knowing a foreign language isn't limited to those studying that country's history: in an increasingly globalized world, having knowledge of a foreign language is essential (or at least extremely helpful) across a wide array of disciplines including Business, Law, Politics, and the Sciences. Going back to my original question, given the enormous opportunity for foreign language opportunity that the Light Fellowship affords, why would anyone only decide to use it for one summer? I'm actually surprised that relatively few decide to take time off to spend at least a year in a language program. It just seems like such a wasted opportunity to not take full advantage of the Light Fellowship's generosity to learn as much of a language as possible. I realize that there's the concern of taking too much time away from Yale - but why not take a leave of absence? I don't see how delaying graduation/grad school can be so bad - you're going to be spending 40+ years as a working adult, and I really doubt that taking one year off will hurt much in the whole scheme of things. Graduate school / the real world will always be there waiting for you.
So, to anyone who is on the fence about studying abroad for more than a summer - just do it! I don't know of anyone who spent a significant amount of time abroad and regretted it. On the contrary, I know several Yalies who regretted not applying for a Light Fellowship. I know that there is some concern about breaking friendships formed at Yale by spending a significant amount of time abroad - fear not! I had similiar concerns, so I decided to spend only a semester abroad (summer+fall), allowing me to walk at graduation and spend one final semester with my class. JE's dean, Dean Farley, is a huge proponent of studying abroad - and in fact brought in several students to speak to our class about the benefits of studying abroad. I'm really glad I took his advice.
So why spend a semester abroad? First and foremost, for language learners spending time abroad is essential. It's true that there will always be the geniuses who can pick up languages from textbooks/Rosetta Stone and become fluent without setting foot in the respective country. But for everyone else, there's really no way to become even remotely competent in a foreign language without having the constant immersion in a language sphere that going abroad affords. I took Japanese for 7 years and Spanish for 4 years in middle school and high school, and I can't really speak a word of either today. Compare this to the 2 years of Korean I've taken. I definitely don't consider myself that great by any means, but I can least function in Korea, being able to convey pretty much anything I need to express. I have also developed strong friendships here with Korean friends relying only on Korean. The only difference? - spending time abroad. It's amazing how much being abroad helps. It really doubles / triples/ quadruples the time spent learning. No longer is language learning limited to speaking to one native-speaking professor for one hour a day. When studying abroad - the world becomes your classroom - every interaction with a store clerk, every conversation with a friend, every look at a subway advertisement becomes a learning opportunity. I'm convinced that I've learned more from my interactions outside of the classroom than from my class.
Other people have asked me: why study on the Light Fellowship more than once? The simple answer is: why not? There is really nothing else like it anywhere else: I haven't come across any other fellowship that fully funds language study in East Asia for students of any program of study. Most other scholarship programs have very rigid requirements - requiring a major in Korean Studies or the intention to study at a Korean university. The Light Fellowship 'gets' that the benefits of knowing a foreign language isn't limited to those studying that country's history: in an increasingly globalized world, having knowledge of a foreign language is essential (or at least extremely helpful) across a wide array of disciplines including Business, Law, Politics, and the Sciences. Going back to my original question, given the enormous opportunity for foreign language opportunity that the Light Fellowship affords, why would anyone only decide to use it for one summer? I'm actually surprised that relatively few decide to take time off to spend at least a year in a language program. It just seems like such a wasted opportunity to not take full advantage of the Light Fellowship's generosity to learn as much of a language as possible. I realize that there's the concern of taking too much time away from Yale - but why not take a leave of absence? I don't see how delaying graduation/grad school can be so bad - you're going to be spending 40+ years as a working adult, and I really doubt that taking one year off will hurt much in the whole scheme of things. Graduate school / the real world will always be there waiting for you.
So, to anyone who is on the fence about studying abroad for more than a summer - just do it! I don't know of anyone who spent a significant amount of time abroad and regretted it. On the contrary, I know several Yalies who regretted not applying for a Light Fellowship. I know that there is some concern about breaking friendships formed at Yale by spending a significant amount of time abroad - fear not! I had similiar concerns, so I decided to spend only a semester abroad (summer+fall), allowing me to walk at graduation and spend one final semester with my class. JE's dean, Dean Farley, is a huge proponent of studying abroad - and in fact brought in several students to speak to our class about the benefits of studying abroad. I'm really glad I took his advice.
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