<p>This issue was specifically important to my son when he chose his college. He chose Kalamazoo, and couldn’t be happier. Not only is he about to embark on his own study abroad term, but it’s clear from his interactions with the other students and faculty that foreign study is interwoven in the life of the College. And his educational and social experience at K itself has been terrific.</p>
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And smoke does not necessarily mean fire… </p>
<p>I mean, what is your point? That someone looking for a great study-abroad program should pay no attention to schools where lots of kids participate because it isn’t a 100% guarantee that they’re the best programs? </p>
<p>The OP isn’t looking to score points in a debating contest, he’s looking for schools with great study-abroad programs. Sure, he could spend the time considering each and every one of the 4,000+ 4-year colleges in the country, using the criteria you list. That’s the optimal approach. And with just 1 hour spent on each school (getting info, looking over the program, contacting faculty, building tables of results, and so on) that’s over 2 years of full-time employment (40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year). Nobody has the time for that; so they ask for recommendations on forums like this, look at colleges that have big programs, etc. </p>
<p>What matters to the OP isn’t whether large programs “necessarily” are better, but the more sensible criteria of whether they’re more likely to be than a randomly chosen school, or one with a low participation rate. You’d be hard pressed to make the case that the worst programs tend to be at the places where the most people take part.</p>
<p>Thanks, mikemac. That’s exactly why I asked this question.</p>