2008 Woodie Awards
The number of GW students studying abroad this semester is up 27 percent from last fall despite increased threats of terrorism abroad.
Last fall, 230 students participated in study abroad programs. This fall, there are 290 participants, and about 700 applicants have filed to study in a foreign country for the spring semester.
"Participation is growing at slightly more than the rate of the growth in the student body," said Lynn Leonard, director of the Office of Study Abroad. The increased participation comes on the heels of high-profile international terrorism events such as the recent bombings in Egypt and Madrid.
"The Madrid train bombings do not appear to have affected the popularity of Spain as a destination to a great extent," Leonard said. "We ought to be out there changing it, not being afraid of it."
David Boxer, a sophomore in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, said threats of terrorism did not influence his decision to study abroad in Spain next semester.
"If I don't go, it's a victory for the terrorists," Boxer said. "I sympathize with the Spaniards, but it is not going to deter me from going."
Junior Ruth Link-Gelles, publicity director for the International Affairs Society, is currently studying in Spain. She said after living in Washington for two years, she is no longer worried about threats of terrorism.
"I got a lot of questions about whether I was scared to come to Spain, but my response was always the same: 'I've lived six blocks from the White House for two years,'" she wrote in an e-mail. "If something was going to happen to me, it would probably happen in D.C."
The heightened popularity of studying abroad has prompted the University to integrate two more programs - at the London School of Economics and Denmark International Study Program in Copenhagen - into its list of affiliated programs.
GW advertises about 200 affiliated programs, a number that is almost double what most similar size universities offer, Leonard said. Georgetown University carries 95 "approved" programs.
Last fall, 230 students participated in study abroad programs. This fall, there are 290 participants, and about 700 applicants have filed to study in a foreign country for the spring semester.
"Participation is growing at slightly more than the rate of the growth in the student body," said Lynn Leonard, director of the Office of Study Abroad. The increased participation comes on the heels of high-profile international terrorism events such as the recent bombings in Egypt and Madrid.
"The Madrid train bombings do not appear to have affected the popularity of Spain as a destination to a great extent," Leonard said. "We ought to be out there changing it, not being afraid of it."
David Boxer, a sophomore in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, said threats of terrorism did not influence his decision to study abroad in Spain next semester.
"If I don't go, it's a victory for the terrorists," Boxer said. "I sympathize with the Spaniards, but it is not going to deter me from going."
Junior Ruth Link-Gelles, publicity director for the International Affairs Society, is currently studying in Spain. She said after living in Washington for two years, she is no longer worried about threats of terrorism.
"I got a lot of questions about whether I was scared to come to Spain, but my response was always the same: 'I've lived six blocks from the White House for two years,'" she wrote in an e-mail. "If something was going to happen to me, it would probably happen in D.C."
The heightened popularity of studying abroad has prompted the University to integrate two more programs - at the London School of Economics and Denmark International Study Program in Copenhagen - into its list of affiliated programs.
GW advertises about 200 affiliated programs, a number that is almost double what most similar size universities offer, Leonard said. Georgetown University carries 95 "approved" programs.
