As the study abroad percentage at Oakland University continues to increase with each passing year, so does the number of airplanes full of experience-seeking college students.

“I think that it is so rewarding to experience another culture other than your own,” said Leah Vruggink, a senior and physical therapy major. “Whether it is studying abroad for an extended period of time, or just going overseas for a week or two, it will benefit you.”

Vruggink is minoring in Spanish, so she felt it was fitting to study abroad in Spain. She had hopes of speaking the language fluently by the time she got back, but realized it would probably take a full year abroad to be able to do so. Regardless, she made some lifelong friends during the process.

“I never expected to get as close as I did with the people I met studying abroad,” Vruggnik said. “My best friends from the trip all go to the University of Oregon, and because I got so close with them, I am visiting them in Oregon over spring break.”

Oakland University grants students the opportunity to study abroad in over 40 different countries. Students immerse themselves in another culture and can receive academic credit that will transfer back to OU.

“The benefits of studying abroad are endless,” said Megan Carson, a junior and graphic design major with a minor in Chinese language and civilization. “Not only do you get to learn about a different culture firsthand, but you also get to learn about yourself.”

Carson studied abroad in China and was especially excited because she has been learning Chinese for the past six years, and her grandma was born there.

“It was much different being immersed in a classroom where the professor spoke very little English,” Carson said. “What surprised me is how quickly my listening skills improved due to that.”

Oakland’s director of International Education, Alex Zimmerman, explained that the increase of study abroad participation at Oakland  from the 2014-2015 year to the 2015-2016 year was around 10 percent. In the 2014-2015 year, 123 students studied abroad through Oakland University, and in the 2015-2016 year, 135 students did so. 

“I expect a greater than 10 percent increase from last year,” Zimmerman said. “We have had significantly more students attend our study abroad fair and our open advising hours this year than in past years.”

Emily Quigley, a junior and social work major, Spanish minor, studied in Spain for six weeks and had anticipated becoming more fluent in Spanish. She said that she ended up learning a lot more about the culture and the Spanish people’s view about Americans.

“Something I found interesting that I never would have learned if I hadn’t studied abroad was how much the U.S. impacts all the other countries,” Quigley said. “I also met so many great people from all around the states that I still talk to today. It was great to get that immersion that you wouldn’t get if you were just traveling and visiting.”

OU’s Mechanical Engineering department offers its students an opportunity to study abroad in China during the summer. Michael Chen, a junior mechanical engineering major, took this opportunity.

“Trying new foods, meeting and interacting with new people, and exploring the architectural wonders the country has to offer are all benefits of studying abroad,” Chen said. He added that the trip opened his mind. 

However, the cost of study abroad can get expensive. But Alyssa Pouliot, study abroad student adviser at OU and secondary education English major and history minor, encouraged students to check out the many scholarship opportunities OU offers.

“There are so many study abroad scholarships that there is no way someone who really wanted to go couldn’t,” Pouliot said.

But, it is not just Oakland University that sends students abroad.

According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a nonprofit, during the 2014-2015 school year, nearly 10,760 college students in Michigan studied abroad. During that same year, the number of U.S. students studying abroad rose about 2.9 percent.

According to the Institute of International Education, 313,415 U.S. students studied abroad during the 2014-2015 year for academic credit, and an additional 22,431 students participated in a noncredit study abroad trip (for work, internships, volunteering, etc.).

Zimmerman explained that when Oakland’s president, George Hynd, took office, one of his goals was to triple study abroad participation. OU joined Generation Study Abroad, an organization of colleges and universities that are devoted to doubling study abroad percentages by 2020.

Zimmerman said he believes there are a few key factors to the recent spark of interest in study abroad.

One is that as the economy continues to recover, students are becoming more able to invest in a study abroad experience.

Another factor is how diverse OU has become with the different programs it offers to students. Also, professors and other faculty members around campus strongly encourage students to look into studying abroad.

The last factor is OU’s changing profile. OU started out as mostly a commuter school with students from the surrounding areas, but as students are now from around the state and other countries, OU became a more suburban university. 

“The more diversity we have on campus, the more everybody will realize how important intercultural education and global perspectives are,” Zimmerman said.