Studying abroad is an experience that many university students anticipate at some point in their academic journeys. The experience offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a deeper level of cultural exchange than is possible through merely vacationing. While students abroad enjoy exposure to the history of far corners of the world and the people who have inhabited them throughout the centuries, few of them realize they are partaking in a practice with a rich history of its own. Studying abroad is, at its core, a form of international education. As it turns out, people have been engaging in this process of exchanging knowledge with others from diverse nations for thousands of years. If one stops and thinks about it, any famous historical figure (and that means most of them), who travelled to a new land, engaged in some sort of interaction with the people there, and applied that newfound knowledge to their life's work, did in fact study abroad! From the journey of Moses across Egypt to the colonization of the Americas, these types of exchanges can be found in every historical text and tale. The current and most traditional picture of studying abroad involves college students taking courses at universities in other nations. Even this exact definition of the phrase dates back to the year 1190. This is the year that the Oxford University, the first English-speaking university in history, hosted the first known international student. Emo of Friesland was a forward-thinking Dutch student with a dream of spreading the importance of international learning and collaboration. With the assistance of financial aid and scholarships, studying abroad is currently accessible to a wider variety of college students. For many who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, studying abroad offers the first opportunity for international travel. This has not always been the case. During historical periods of societal economic decline, such as the Middle Ages and the Great Depression, studying abroad has been reserved for the royal elite and the rich and famous. In the wake of World War II, governments began to view studying abroad as a method for creating international peace and collaboration. Today, this continues to be one of the greatest focuses and profound benefits of international education. While study abroad programs grow and change in response to international relations and the states of individual nations, Emo of Friesnland's dream is still alive and strong.
