The number of study abroad and exchange students is on the rise, according to OU's Education Abroad and International Student Services offices.
For the 2002-2003 school year and 2003 summer, 147 students from OU studied abroad in 23 countries, said Jack Hobson, study abroad adviser.
During the same period, 122 students from 22 countries came to OU as exchange students, Hobson said.
There are three reasons for the increase, Hobson said.
The first reason is the globalization of the world, Hobson said. As it becomes easier to travel and communicate, people from all parts of the world are coming into more contact with each other.
The second reason is to fulfill core requirements, Hobson said. The third reason is that it's inexpensive to study abroad.
Some of the reasons students come to OU to study are that it's inexpensive to live in Norman, OU offers a world-class education and Norman provides a sense of what America is like, Hobson said.
"They can get a good sense of American flavor," he said.
Dalynda Evans, academic adviser and study abroad coordinator at the Michael F. Price College of Business, said not knowing a foreign language shouldn't deter students from studying abroad. Thirty students studied abroad last spring and another 30 this past summer.
Students thinking of studying abroad need to start working on arrangements early, Evans said. Getting a passport can take two to three months, and if students wait too long, it could be too late to study abroad.
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