What is an activity in which approximately 50% of Whitman students participate? No, it’s nothing illegal: it’s study abroad.

Compared to other schools, Whitman may not have a high student population or the same number of options for classes, but its study abroad program boasts 39 affiliated programs in 24 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania.   There are also programs for students who wish to stay stateside, such as domestic programs in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and the Semester in the West environmental studies program.

But the main questions remain, what are the study abroad trends?-As students are looking ahead at study abroad programs and trying to decide which semester to go, there are many factors to keep in mind. When are your friends going? Are there classes offered at Whitman that semester that you want to take?

In a study abroad survey conducted this past week, it was found that the majority of Whitman students plan to study abroad in the spring, the most common reason being that certain classes are offered in the fall that they cannot miss. Some of the other reasons chosen were because the majority of people’s friends are planning on going then, and also for the option of traveling during the summer. “Studying abroad in the fall would have been nice, but to go abroad in the spring offers more of an opportunity to travel once the actual program is over,” said sophomore Kristine Unkrich, “Since I’m going to France, I can then travel to places like Spain and see my friends who are also planning to travel afterwards.”

The main reason some students want to study abroad in the fall is so that they can have a transition period between junior and senior year. The other reasons stated were because of class offerings, and to be able to attend the graduation ceremony.

“For me, most of it was about tennis and not missing the season,” said junior David Deming, who is studying abroad in London for the fall semester. “If I had studied abroad in the spring, not only would I miss the tennis season; I would also not see most of my friends for the entire junior year.”

The biggest draw to studying abroad, as found from the survey, is that students want to experience living in a different area apart from where they have grown up. “Studying abroad in a different country, taking classes in a different system and setting, immersing yourself in a new culture and discovering things about myself are definitely some of the [reasons],” said junior Neda Ansaari who is studying abroad in Vienna for the fall semester.

Similarly, students who opt for a stateside experience are also enjoying the change of scene: “I’m a politics and environmental studies major and I wanted to go to our capital for the elections,” said junior Lisa Curtis, who is studying in Washington D.C. for the fall semester. “It is nice to get out of small-town Eastern Washington for a bit and see the craziness of the other Washington.”

So whether it be an interest in seeing different sights or wanting to learn another language, the consensus is that study abroad is a great experience for all. “The only cons would be homesickness, culture shock and longer time periods of transition,” said Ansaari, “It just all depends on how well prepared you are in terms of handling the stress. But overall studying abroad is absolutely awesome.”