<p>I am thinking about becoming a missionary and/or early childhood educator in different continents. Which schools have the highest percentage of students who study abroad, the "best " programs (I'm not sure myself what constitutes "best") , and highest percentage of students who study abroad alot?</p>
<p>The schools do not necessarily have to be religious (I am not exactly sure of my international focus yet...missionary work or teaching?) </p>
<p>In case anyone was wondering, Tufts is on my list :-) However, any extra information about the school would be much appreciated .
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>St. Olaf College is #1 for LACs that send students abroad. They have an education degree program and are also very strong in math and science. 3,000 students attend this college and though they are affiliated with the Lutheran Church, you do not have to have any ties to a religion to feel at home there.</p>
<p>U.S. News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2007</p>
<p>"Academic Programs to Look For-- Study Abroad</p>
<p>These programs involve substantial academic work--a year or a semester or an intensive experience equal to a course--and considerable interaction between the student and the culture. </p>
<pre><code>* Antioch College(OH)
* Arcadia University(PA)
* Beloit College(WI)
* Boston College
* Boston University
* Butler University(IN)
* Carleton College(MN)
* Central College(IA)
* Colby College(ME)
* Colgate University(NY)
* College of St. Benedict(MN)
* Dartmouth College(NH)
* Dickinson College(PA)
* Duke University(NC)
* Earlham College(IN)
* Elon University(NC)
* Emory University(GA)
* Furman University(SC)
* Georgetown University(DC)
* George Washington University(DC)
* Georgia Institute of Technology*
* Goshen College(IN)
* Goucher College(MD)
* Grinnell College(IA)
* Gustavus Adolphus College(MN)
* Indiana University–Bloomington*
* Kalamazoo College(MI)
* Lee University(TN)
* Lewis and Clark College(OR)
* Macalester College(MN)
* Michigan State University*
* Middlebury College(VT)
* New York University
* Pepperdine University(CA)
* Pitzer College(CA)
* Smith College(MA)
* Spelman College(GA)
* Stanford University(CA)
* St. John's University(MN)
* St. Olaf College(MN)
* Syracuse University(NY)
* University of California–Berkeley*
* Univ. of California–Los Angeles*
* Univ. of California–Santa Barbara*
* University of Colorado–Boulder*
* University of Denver
* University of Evansville(IN)
* U. of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign*
* Univ. of Maryland–College Park*
* University of Michigan–Ann Arbor*
* Univ. of Minnesota–Twin Cities*
* U. of North Carolina–Chapel Hill*
* University of Notre Dame(IN)
* University of Pennsylvania
* University of Pittsburgh*
* University of Richmond(VA)
* University of Texas–Austin*
* University of Virginia*
* Univ. of Wisconsin–Eau Claire*
* Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison*
* Wake Forest University(NC)
* Webster University(MO)
</code></pre>
<p>Many study abroad programs are not run by your college. You can choose lots run by other colleges and private organizations, check to see what any school you're interested in accepts.</p>
<p>If you're planning on being a missionary, you may want to look at schools you can afford with no loans. It'll be hard to pay them back if you're working abroad.</p>
<p>You can go to any school and then go abroad, the thing is, a school like Tufts will have really great in-house programs that are academically and language intensive and not just a party year abroad. It depends what you want. Tufts' programs are really great, and you always study at the best school in the respective country, alongside native students, which really, to me, is the best and only way to go abroad.</p>
<p>It really also depends on what type of experience your looking for abroad. Personally, one of the biggest reasons I chose to go to Georgetown, was because they had a Practical Experience Abroad program in the field i want to study (international health). Thanks to this program I get to do groundwork in Sub-Saharan Africa in some aspect of public health that I get to determine. I found researching programs at various schools i was interested in helped me greatly.</p>
<p>The study abroad program at Kalamazoo College is remarkably out of scale to the size of the school. (It's a very fine Liberal Arts College of about 1400 students.) Virtually every student studies abroad during his or her junior year. There are programs on every continent but Antarctica. Study abroad is an integral part of the "K Plan" curriculum. My son hopes to work in the Foreign Service some day, and K's outstanding study abroad opportunities were a critical factor in his choosing to attend there.</p>
<p>I know for sure that some colleges, like Goshen College, require that every student spend one semester abroad. I'm sure colleges like those have very good study abroad programs.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo has a huge percentage of students who study abroad at some point during their college years (85% IIRC). also, Middlebury is known for its foreign language programs and they have a few in-house programs that are good.</p>
<p>Top LACs all have great, and i have read many articles about NYU having an award winning study abroad program. Supposedly some magazine ranked them 1st place in best study abroad program for like a couple years in a row.</p>
<p>UC system is great. Plenty of country options, usually at some of the best universities in each country, with a wide range of length, semester, a special focus programs. A relatively high percentage of people go (which translates to a lot since they're huge public schools), pretty cheap to go abroad bcuz you'd pay UC tuition, and you get to meet students from all the different UCs everytime. </p>