The International Student Blog

More and more students are now studying abroad than ever before. If you are considering going on a study abroad program, one of the decision you will have to make is where to go. Some study abroad destinations are more popular than others.

There are many reasons why students choose to go to one country over another. You may choose your host country because it shares the same language or offers a chance to improve a second language, or perhaps it has a good reputation of higher education and safety. Some students choose a location because it offers lower tuition and living cost or just for the fact that it is just a cool place to go!

Listed below are the top 5 destinations that U.S. students decided to study abroad based on the data from the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report for the year 2008/2009. Whether you want to go to one of these leading destination or break out from the crowd and choose a less travel road to some exotic place, here are the the most popular study abroad destinations:

1. United Kingdom

There is not much surprise here. While the United Kingdom and the United States have cultural differences, being an English speaking country makes the U.K. a top choice for students looking for an easier transition especially for those on their first study abroad experience. London is one of the world most diverse cities and one of the worlds great financial hubs. No wonder why so many people choose to study there. Check out our Study in the UK page on our website for more detail information.

2. Italy

Most of us grew up with a lot of exposure to Italian culture – from Italian food, like pizza and spaghetti to Italian Renaissance like Michelangelo and Donatello. As the heart of the Roman Empire and the Vatican, Italy draws students interested in studying history, religion, art, food and fashion.

3. Spain

Because there are so many Spanish speakers in the United States, knowing how to speak Spanish is a valuable skill. Many students take Spanish classes, and what better way to improve your language skills than to study in a country that is the birth place of the language that is continually used even today.

4. France

French food, French wine, great fashion and Paris, the city of love; France is known for many great things. While just like every country here in the list, there are so much more the country has to offer – not to mention fine arts, food as well as history.

5. China

While the top 4 countries on the list have held its spot in the top 5, the total numbers of students studying there has all decreased slightly from the previous year. China, however, continues to attracts more students each year making into one of the new top 5 destinations!

As all the media publicity starts to die away after the recent thwarted terror attacks in London, and the attack that took place in Scotland, I wanted to touch on the subject of how this will affect international education and students going to the UK to study.

From our recent newsletter that we sent out, we have highlighted a story showing a school in the USA who are still planning to partake in their study abroad programs to the UK, however I am sure there are probably just as many people that are looking and willing to cancel their travel arrangements.

We all know that the only way to combat terrorism is to stand up to them, and not let them affect our daily life – and the reasons we have terrorism are too deep to talk about in this posting. But I would be interested to hear from international students around the world and your thoughts on how the terror attacks are changing things for them. Are you planning to keep away from the UK as it has been hit twice in as many years, are you not bothered and still want to study there.

I would also like to hear from any study abroad or international education specialists who may read this blog – what do you think about the attacks? Has it changed anything?

Please post your comments…..

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