A World Observer:
Education goes global

As a student of Rider, the past several weeks have truly been out of the ordinary. Studying abroad at Bilkent University in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is turning out to be an incredibly refreshing and rewarding experience.

Classes, which started a month ago, were preceded by a two-week orientation period during which I met fellow exchange and or visiting students from countries such as Germany, Iran, Kazakhstan, Holland, Denmark, Italy, France and the U.S. Quite literally I have had the opportunity to meet more Californians in the past few weeks than I have in my entire life. Professors too, hail from all corners of the globe.

Between classes, for instance, I share the hallways with students that I would normally have absolutely no way of being around if I weren’t halfway across the planet. Simply being exposed to an entirely new environment, in a unique culture, is something special in itself.

Getting a university education is about broadening one’s horizons – I’d like to think so, at least. As a result, it is necessary for us to fulfill certain credit requirements because they are considered a vital basis for our intellectual development, regardless of which academic field we pursue. So, why not make Study Abroad a graduation requirement? I understand that sending hundreds of students to foreign countries every semester would probably be a logistical nightmare. But the Study Abroad program should be considered a great opportunity by everyone, especially at a place with as much potential as Rider.

It might sound radical, but I believe experiences such as studying abroad may even decrease the possibility of war. When people can perceive one another beyond national boundaries and various ethnic identities and simply see others as being fellow human beings, they would most likely have less of a need to get rid of each other. Of course, students studying abroad will not magically turn the planet into a “utopia,” but it is one of the best ways for university students to truly understand the small world in which we live.

In this age of relentless globalization it’s not so difficult to hop on a plane, spend a semester or two abroad and expose ourselves to countries that we might otherwise know of only from pop culture or CNN. Physically being in another country also gives us the chance to be freed from the grip of various stereotypes we all might carry about any given place or peoples.

Most students would probably agree that we are always trying to “understand how the world works.” So why not try to do just that? After all, that is one of the objectives of receiving a university education, is it not?

— Baris Yakin


Future columns will cover the aspects of the Study Abroad program. If you have any questions, suggestions, or are curious about anything related to Yakin’s semester at Bilkent University, please feel free to contact him at yakin@rider.edu.