When 21-year-old Morgane Le Breton swapped her familiar life in a small French village for Rotterdam in September, she had no idea what she was in for. She had never been to the Netherlands before, had never been away from her family for more than a few weeks, and for all she knew, the relationship between students and lecturers was professional and formal. This all changed when she left for Rotterdam to study there for a year; first, IBaC (International Business and Career), and afterwards IBEX (International Business Experience). Here, she learned to stand on her own two feet, improved her English, and discovered that Dutch lecturers are much more informal than she was used to. “In a one and a half hour PowerPoint presentation, my new lecturer told us everything about his wife, children, cats, and hobbies. As far as my French teachers are concerned: I often don’t even know their first names.”

“Before I came to Rotterdam to study, I had never even done the dishes.”

4.3 million international students
Morgane is one of many travel-savvy students. According to the latest figures of the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, more than 4.3 million students worldwide were abroad for a placement or course of study in 2010. That is approximately 2.4 percent of all higher education students in the world. By way of comparison: in 1994, the number was 1.7 million. It is interesting to take a close look at this growing group. Because what does it yield? What are the effects of studying abroad?

If you ask the students themselves, the answer is nearly always related to independence. 23-year-old Monique Snyder from Canada (second-year student of International Business and Languages) calls it her greatest achievement. “Before I came to Rotterdam to study, I had never done the dishes or washed my own clothes. My mother did these things for me. Now, I do all of it myself, and I even like it.”

Frontiers, an online publisher of scientific magazines, published a study into the personal and professional impact of participation in an international course programme in late 2013. The numbers are as plain as day. After returning, students are more inquisitive (78%), more social (54%), and their need for more adventure increased (69%).

“An exciting venture such as studying abroad results in an increasing brain mass.”

Psychotherapist Dorien van Otterloo is not surprised about this. “After all, it is a great adventure. You leave your comfort zone and discover a lot about yourself. You see more of the world and come into contact with different customs. Scientists discovered that such an exciting venture results in an increasing brain mass. So it will not do you any harm.”

Clean water is not a matter of course
The study conducted by Frontiers also points out that 80 percent of the students have gained a better understanding of the culture of their host country. Different eating habits and teaching methods, the differences between men and women – you can only really get to know a culture if you have been part of it for a while.

For example, Tom den Breejen (25, fourth-year-student Small Business and Retail Management) did a three-month placement in Uganda, where he worked at a coffee corporation and where clean water and a hot shower were not a matter of course. “You only become aware of that when you experience it yourself. Of course, I knew the stories, but it is different when you experience it yourself. I gained a better understanding of the way in which people live there. Sometimes, we can make a big deal of trivial things here in the Netherlands, while we are so well off. This, in turn, also makes you think about your own culture.”

“In Canada, it is all about thinking big; looking ahead.”

Putting it into perspective
Experiencing and understanding a different culture allow you to put yourself and your own culture into perspective. However, British organisation Education UK, part of the British Council – the knowledge centre for the promotion of the English language and culture -, believes it is also essential for the world. This organisation claims that international students greatly contribute to globalisation. With their view of the world, international network, and understanding of different cultures, they are of vital importance to the global village that we live in, according to Education UK.

25-year-old Stefan van Winden (fourth-year-student of International Business and Management Studies) understands this statement. “Cultures can learn a lot from each other. I did a placement with a company that focuses on the oil and gas industry in Canada. I came into contact with the company top and experienced the Canadian work culture first hand – totally different than in the Netherlands. It is all about thinking big; looking ahead. Dutch companies can learn quite a bit from that. In any case, it greatly inspired me and hope to apply this experience in the Netherlands, and I believe that this is an essential lesson from such a placement abroad.”

Half as likely to be unemployed
And are you automatically privileged if you come to the labour market as a global citizen graduate with your wealth of international experiences? In September, the European Union conducted research on the consequences for the employment of students who took up a course of study or did a placement across the border through the Erasmus programme. It turns out that 64 percent of employers appreciate an experience abroad, and former Erasmus participants are half as likely to become long-term unemployed. Perhaps even more importantly, however, 92 percent of employers are looking for personality traits that are reinforced by experience abroad. Examples include self-confidence, decisiveness, inquisitiveness, and tolerance for the standards and values of someone else.

Arend van Triest (35) should know. More than ten years ago, he left for New York for his course of study, architecture. When he finally entered the labour market, he noticed that he stood out for his experience abroad. “It was always the first thing that employers brought up during an interview. And it is not necessarily the trip itself; it is about the things you learned there. You can put on your CV that you are independent and enterprising, but you should also be able to prove it.”

“Going abroad is not for everyone. If it gives you nightmares, I would advise against it.”

Not for everyone
Should students flock abroad now to discover themselves and be able to make a huge career for themselves? No, says therapist Van Otterloo. “It is not for everyone. People often believe that it is good for you to embark on such an adventure, but if the thought of travelling solo already gives you nightmares, I advise against it. For example, I do not encourage depressed people to go on holiday alone either. Often, something like that has a negative rather than positive outcome, and I believe that the same applies in this case.”

“You should definitely not do it because it looks good on your CV, either,” IBMS student Stefan van Winden stresses. “Do it because you want it. Only then, it will make you a better person, and eventually, that will automatically become evident on your CV.”

Text: Femke Radder
Illustration: Anna van Dooren