Holy Cross Takes Top Seat in Ranking for Long-Term Study Abroad Participation

For yet another year, the College of the Holy Cross has been ranked No. 1 among baccalaureate institutions in the United States for long-term study abroad participation by the Institute of International Education.

According to its report, 133 Holy Cross students studied abroad on long-term programs during the 2015-16 academic year, surpassing the second-ranked Sarah Lawrence College by 58 students. This marks the ninth year in a row that the College has held one of the top three positions on this list.

Holy Cross’ yearlong programs — located across the globe from Germany to Japan — are a staple among the College’s study abroad offerings and allow students to engage in academic and cultural immersion in their host countries for a full academic year.

“Studying abroad for the academic year is radically different from being abroad for a semester, which, when you think about it, is only three-and-a-half or four months,” says Brittain Smith, director of study abroad at Holy Cross. “When you’re abroad for the year, however, you’re able to turn your new environment into a new home. One student put it to me this way: ‘I knew I was attending Oxford for the year, so I went into it knowing I was going to invest in my time there. I bought plants for my apartment, I made friends, I put down roots myself. It was an entirely different mentality from the start.’”

“Rather than being an outsider looking into a culture, you gradually become an insider looking at your own culture from a newly acquired and broadened vantage point,” Smith shares. “Students develop their independence and confidence as well as the ability to navigate a culture different from their own, leaving an impact that goes well beyond their time at Holy Cross.”