Virtually all high school students have been asked where they plan to attend college. It’s inescapable, coming from teachers, aunts, uncles, and even brief acquaintances at every turn. It seems that the majority of Benilde-St. Margaret’s students attend college in the United States. This poses the question: Do BSM students consider colleges outside of the U.S.A.?
Students with multiple citizenships are more likely to consider going international for college than those without it. Freshman Catherine Martin believes her dual citizenship would make the process of travelling to and enrolling in a college outside of America easier than if she tried to apply without it. She largely focuses on the weather patterns of each region when considering whether or not to apply to school there. “If it’s a bad climate, I’m probably not gonna like it as much,” Martin said.
While she considers a university’s location through the lens of weather, Martin does not consider her ability to get home quickly a deciding factor. “I think my family’s moving after I move,” Martin said.
Freshman Eloise Burns similarly does not mind a more difficult travel home. Burns holds tri-citizenship to the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. She enjoys experiencing new cultures and widening her perspective. However, she has found language barriers somewhat limit her college search. “I think an English-speaking country would help, just because if I don’t speak the language, it would be harder to study there. But I’m kind of interested in studying anywhere,” Burns said.
A more limited selection of students without multiple citizenships hasn’t closed their minds to the idea of going international for college. Junior Tessa Erickson only holds American citizenship, but she believes the benefits of going abroad outweigh the drawbacks. “A lot of it’s a lot cheaper. American college is expensive,” Erickson said.
Applying to colleges outside of the United States comes with adapting to a different application process, but BSM students who plan to continue their education abroad aren’t worried. “For every one I’ve looked at so far, I can use all the same…stuff…it’s been pretty straightforward,” Erickson said.
Most students interviewed explained that if they were going to apply to a college outside the U.S., they would most likely consider European colleges. “I’m kind of looking at colleges in England, just because they speak English there,” Burns said.
Out of the group of students surveyed, 52.9% said they would be open to exploring colleges abroad. The group of students willing to take the risk and make a major life change found widening their perspective to be one of the main motivational factors. “I know they have cheaper tuition, I think that’s definitely a part of it. But also, just like having the opportunity to, like, travel there and experience the culture,” Burns said.