The Benefits of Cross Cultural Study

Today’s employers are looking for entry-level employees with cross cultural adaptation skills. Résumés that show cross cultural experiences of value win interviews. It does not seem to matter what country (or countries) a potential employee has experience in or knowledge of, but it does matter to the employer that the potential employee has demonstrated flexibility and adaptability cross culturally.

Why? Because today’s businesses are becoming more and more “borderless,” therefore, there is a great need for this skill. The experiences and testimonies of graduates at the annual SAU job fair illustrate this information firsthand. Although this may have occurred in other disciplines as well, business and communication majors recounted how the interviewers concentrated on discussing the student’s cross cultural experiences. Those who left the cross cultural experience off their résumé were told by interviewers to rewrite their résumés, as they had left out valuable information. So, how does all this concern our students? While any Cross Cultural Studies experience is valuable and broadening, those students who have been able to plan a semester abroad into their academic program will testify as to how rich the semester was and how they developed skills of flexibility and adaptability, as well as reached new levels of self awareness and understanding.

We encourage all students to consider building a semester abroad into their academic program. It will be one of the best decisions a student can make for his/her future! There is a scholarship available for semester, summer and year abroad programs. Students who receive a Pell Grant are particularly eligible for scholarships, specifically the Gilman Scholarship.