International education is necessary to make American companies competitive, but fewer than 10 percent of U.S. students study abroad, according to a White House press release.
In an effort to increase the amount of students studying abroad, Cal State Long Beach launched a new study abroad scholarship this semester.
Since budget cuts in 2008, the number of CSULB students studying abroad has steadily decreased, according to the study abroad office. Last school year, 684 students studied abroad, whereas in 2008, 824 students went overseas.
Most students interested in studying abroad chose to do so in either Europe or Asia; very few students branched out to the other five continents. In addition, a significantly larger number of females, almost double the number of males at CSULB, have studied abroad in the last five years, according to the study abroad office.
The ASI-CSULB Study Abroad Scholarship is a scholarship designed to enable more students to study, intern or volunteer abroad, according to the study abroad website. The scholarship awards $2,000 for yearlong programs, $1,000 for semester-long programs and $500 for short-term programs.
“Studying Abroad is a great experience for a young person to have a more global outlook outside of the limited American elitist view,” John England, a senior political science major, said. “However, it is expensive and only worth it with an available scholarship or readily available funds.”
Alex Valentincic, a senior journalism major, said he believes in waiting until after graduation to travel abroad.
“I say, ‘save your money while you’re still trying to get established,’” Valentincic said. “When you’re done with college, go travel around when you have the money so you can enjoy things in different countries without having to worry about homework or grades.”
The ASI Study Abroad Scholarship deadline for summer 2015 is March 16, 2015.