Colleges push for U.S. study experiences

To help students get a foot in the door, some colleges are pushing a closed-door study abroad policy.
A semester spent at an internship in the United States will offer students better post-graduation job opportunities than a grand tour of Europe, officials say.
Like Boston University, Calvin College has a Washington, D.C., journalism program that gives gives students a sense of what living and working in the capital is like. This experience is as important as gaining work experience because it provides students with a real-life depiction of a high pressure environment, program director Steve Monsma said.
‘Some people get a great job in Washington and then they get burned out by the environment,’ he said.
Covering stories in the nation’s capital gives budding journalists a boost when it comes time to finding a job, Washington, D.C., Journalism Program Director Linda Killian said.
‘Especially in the shrinking news market that is so competitive, it really gives the students an edge,’ she said.’
BU’s program gives students a chance to work as Washington correspondents at major newspapers and broadcasting companies, including ABC News and USA Today.
BU’s Los Angeles program also gives students a chance to work in their chosen industry. Students in Los Angeles have the opportunity to make essential connections in the entertainment industry, Los Angeles Resident Program Director Bill Linsman said.
‘The entertainment industry has always been and always will be headquartered in Los Angeles,’ he said. ‘This is the place they have got to taste, have got to experience it, if they plan to go into the entertainment industry.’
The BU program is the perfect opportunity to get oriented with how Los Angeles works, College of Communication senior Jacqui Eisen said.
‘One of the biggest things I learned was about connections,’ she said. ‘Who you know is one of the most important things in the industry.’
In addition to initially helping students adjust to the industry, the program equips students with a network that will help them after graduation, COM senior Johnny Varela said.
‘I still talk to the assistants I worked with at the Weinstein company,’ he said. ‘I have people to call and assistants to get in touch with. I’m a step ahead of everyone else.’
Phil Nemy, director for the University of Texas at Austin Los Angeles program director, said studying in the states is more practical than international programs for individuals who are interested in working in the entertainment industry.
‘Students come to Los Angeles to network and to start a career,’ he said. ‘I don’t think there are many students who spend a semester in Rome or Ireland to go find a job. They usually go to experience a different culture, a unique experience.’