Rep Newsletters: Destination Based Advising vs. Career Based Advising for Study Abroad

Generation Z has a vast understanding of the necessary skills to acquire a job. With the increased focus on hands on learning via internships and co-op focused degree programs students are ensuring their academic degrees are not the only point of pride on their resumes. Many students are looking for not just study abroad opportunities but also hands on experience to add to their college careers

Location based study abroad advising is popular for obvious reasons. While resume add ons are a plus, many students are still thinking first of the location they would like to go before they consider what options are available for their major. With a lot of the origins of study abroad being born out of language based learning abroad, this is the most traditional style of study abroad advising.

Career-based advising, a blend of major based and extra curricular opportunities, is seeing a higher interest from students. Career based advising also generally gets more buy-in from advisors and faculty. If study abroad is seen on your campus as a “vacation for a semester”, career based advising helps create additional buy-in points for key campus stakeholders. Career based advising can introduce more options for students. For example, a program may combine study abroad with a part time or post program internship, an internship abroad with additional pre-arranged networking opportunities, or add leadership seminars with a certificate program to a credit bearing summer opportunity.

However, not every location in the world will have every major or internship opportunities available. Career based advising is also less glamorous, and for some students, the excitement of studying in a specific location is what draws them in to the prospect of study abroad.

So can we reach a holistic approach to advising where we embrace academics, location preferences, and career advancement in programming? Below are a few tips to use when revising your study abroad program portfolio to help expand opportunities for students.

1. Talk with your students when they come in for advising. Is your first question when students walk into your office “where do you want to go?” Consider leading with a question such as “what are your goals for going abroad?”
2. Diversify your portfolio – does your study abroad program portfolio offer an academic focus for every major at your institution? While this is not possible everywhere, providing an array of options for students can help when students are looking for a specific environment to spend their semester.
3. Contact your exchange partners and program providers – do currently established programs offer internships, research opportunities, shadowing opportunities, leadership series with complimentary certificates or other ways students looking to add to their experience can do so?
4. Connections in country – do your staff, faculty, or partners have connections in the destination location that could provide students with unique opportunities? Is there a local alumni association in country that you could connect students with that would be interested in mentorship opportunities?

Consider expanding your advising repertoire to blend destination and career based advising as a way to reach a new group of students and faculty. This may also help you get support from campus stakeholders that have been hesitant previously but are open to international opportunities that expand student opportunities. Who knows, your best connections may directly come from them.
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Lily Andrules
Education Abroad Rep