If you find yourself in a situation where being accepted at, say Harvard, is “fundamental” in your life, you might want to take a deep breath and reconsider your goals and priorities.

The False Premise

Studying at an Ivy League college or university is certainly an amazing opportunity for academic and career development. No question about it. The likes of Cambridge, Harvard, Stanford, etc., arm their degree candidates with terrific professors, outstanding facilities, and an aura of virtue and distinction on their diplomas.

Ivy League-obsessed students (and families), however, often think little about the actual academic opportunities such magnificently-endowed reservoirs of knowledge may offer, and focus only on false illusions of guaranteed success and happiness. And so, instead of seeking the most appropriate program and environment that will best nourish a student’s personal and academic potential, the Ivy League-obsessed fall prey to the most ironic of premises: high ambitions for mediocre reasons.

The Ivy League-obsessed do not think in terms of: “I’d like to be taught by Professor X at MIT because my interest in Mechanical Engineering precisely revolves around his research”. Nor do Ivy League-obsessed parents think along the lines of, “our daughter’s personal and academic potential would truly flourish at a place like Dartmouth; they’d be lucky to have her!”

The Ivy League-obsessed think more like, “just do anything to get into one of the top 5, no matter what you study, because doing so will set you for life”.

Regardless of the exceptional academic profile Ivy League students generally share, there are also personal values that are critical not only to a successful Ivy League student experience, but also to any student at any institution: maturity, ambition, and trustworthiness.

Pressuring a student’s schedule with honor courses, ridiculous extracurricular activities (i.e., “horseback-riding and violin will look good on your application”), and private SAT tutoring will not produce “Ivy League material”. Instead, it will produce a frustrated, selfish, and, ultimately, mediocre human being.

Successful Education = Tailor-made

There is no Prêt-à-Porter education for success. Education is a complex algorithm in a human being’s life to which there is no definite universal formula, for even randomness plays a definite role in education. However, there are certain portions within the formula for a good education we know are keystone, universal, and which are nestled at home: self-respect, consideration for others, and a positive, give-it-your-best attitude in life.

The best education for success is one that is tailor-made to suit an individual’s personal development. One that will actually bring out the best of a person’s talents and which will help overcome one’s fears and shortcomings. One that does not confuse ambition with greed. If Harvard is match in this regard, then, by all means, you must give it your best shot. Do not, however, focus on doing it the other way around: artificially recreating a false profile that matches that of an Ivy League’s student body. Besides the negative effects such an approach will surely have on your life, an impostor is easy to detect in the application process, and the very few that actually do get in hardly ever make it to graduation day.

The best Ivy League school for you is the one were you will be happy and, quite importantly, the school that will be a better place because of your presence.

Your Ivy League School May not be on the List!

Perhaps the Ivy League for you–the school that will best empower you with the necessary tools to achieve your academic and professional goals–is not on the top 5, or top 10 lists you are researching. If you really want to attend a school that is absolutely the best for you, it is necessary for you to look at more lists and do your research according to your needs. It could be the case that your Ivy League is a a liberal arts college with a low student-to-faculty ratio, or even a school abroad!

Ultimately, your “aura of virtue and distinction” should not be embedded on a piece of paper; instead, it should shine all over you.

Naturally, to be an erudite on a single subject while being completely ignorant on all others is impractical, and we all hope for our world leaders to posses as much of a round, multidisciplinary education as possible. However, this is the wonderful thing about academic life: a stimulating environment where bizarre questions like Dr. Peter’s can lead students to theorize and exercise critical thinking.

As can be expected from a class of some thirty students representing almost as many different nationalities, the question triggered a lively debate. While various subjects were proposed by the crowd, History and Economics seemed to prevail as the “winners” toward the end of an intense exchange. I then suggested “foreign languages”.

Not to rest importance to History, Economics or even World Religions as a peer proposed, but my personal view then (and today) is that learning foreign languages is perhaps the most revealing and practical form of knowledge available to understand the cultures that inhabit our planet. And if there is something that world leaders ought to do well in their affairs is to understand world cultures.

By learning foreign languages you acquire an immense amount of bonus wisdom. As you master a foreign language and you begin to compose phrases without actually translating them first, you are in fact thinking differently. This is because by studying a language you are also tacitly learning History, Sociology, Politics, and even Religion and Mathematics. Learning languages opens your mind and fills the gaps–often, the subtlest, must crucial gaps–all other subjects of study individually can only touch on the surface.

Language is humanity’s greatest achievement. It is the keystone not only to basic interaction amongst people, but it also defines who we are and how we think.

If you are a business executive (or a world leader) and need to negotiate with, say an Italian, and you are fluent in his or her language, not only is communication evidently going to be easier, but you will be able to empathize with each other and better understand each others train of thought. Even if in an antagonistic situation, both will also feel more at ease, because sharing the understanding of intricate cultural sentiments (and even prejudices) defuses mistrust.

Travel, master as many languages as you can, and, since you are not confronted with the hypothetical restraints set by Dr. Peters’ question, acquire as much of a comprehensive general education you can regardless of your major or subject of academic specialization. You will then have a better chance to be an open-minded and tolerant human being, which, ultimately, is the road to better human understanding.

Since most colleges and universities require that all students, regardless of their major, fulfill certain general-education courses (e.g., foreign languages, mathematics, English, science, etc.), studying abroad could be a great option to get ahead in such type of general-education courses, while learning a language, exploring a different culture, and, quite important as well, decide which major to undertake the following year.

How about a semester in Florence?

There are several institutions overseas that follow the same accreditation as their US counterparts. By doing a little bit of research ahead of time, students are able to choose the study abroad program for which they will be able to receive credits back home. Another option is to explore the study-abroad programs that are organized by US colleges and universities. Even community colleges are now intensifying their efforts to send students abroad.

Italy, for example, could be a fantastic place to discover an interest in art, history, creative writing, or international business… Learn Italian, enjoy some incredible food, make new friends, discover what you want to do in life, and… get college credits for it!

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Resources

Need suggestions? Would you like to exchange opinions on your study-abroad plans and options? Join the Expat Scholar discussion forums!

Today more than ever, the ability to build a rich and diverse social circle is fundamental in one’s personal and professional development.

At a personal level, the opportunity to befriend people from different cultures and backgrounds is in itself an extraordinary way to gaining a richer and more complex perspective on the world. Upon their return home, students who truly made an effort to integrate with their foreign surroundings and effectively broadened their friendships experiment a decisive paradigm shift: foreign nationals are no longer seen so remote or different, and the borders between “them” and “us” are essentially dissolved. Along with education and travel, these are the basic ingredients for an open-minded and tolerant citizen of the 21st century.

Of course, it would be false to say that only those who study abroad are able to develop such a global perspective of the world and grow to be open-minded and tolerant individuals. However, it is true that the intense international exposure that is gained by studying abroad arms students with a tremendous advantage in this regard.

In terms of the long-term professional benefits networking while studying abroad may provide, there is a synergy of forces at work in favor of the international student that is quite unique: networking as a student is easy, natural, fast, and, most importantly, relationships amongst students are harvested without any material interests attached.

If we understand the concept of networking for professional purposes as the act of selectively cultivating interest-based relationships to further one’s career or business, clearly, a student who broadens his or her relationships in social and academic settings will have an easier time tapping into those relationships for professional gain later in life.

It is easier to be buddies with Jacques, our friend and Art History classmate in Paris, than with Jacques, the Museum Director whom we never befriended before.

Networking cannot be viewed as an automatic study-abroad benefit, however, as it is more of an opportunity that requires effort on the part of the student. One of the biggest mistakes international students abroad make is to solely socialize with kids from their home country. This not only limits their capacity to learn foreign languages and blend with the local culture, but it also adds restrictions to their networking potential.

Similarly, networking is not just about meeting people, but it is also about keeping in touch with people. Fortunately, the advent of Internet social networking technologies makes nourishing those relationships made abroad not only easy, but also fun.

The international contacts that a student brings back home are in fact yet another tremendous asset gained abroad, and they should be taken seriously. It is a subtle bonus, but, in the long run, study-abroad networking could prove to be a career-changing opportunity.

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Resources:

-Join Expat Scholar’s study-abroad community and start meeting new friends abroad before jumping on the plane!

-Would you like start working on your own professional profile online? Visit VITAEVISION, the new professional networking platform.

Studying abroad offers one extremely powerful and appealing opportunity: to reinvent oneself. Upon stepping out of the plane, international students are given one fabulous welcome gift: a “button” to reset their lives and start fresh.

It is fascinating to see how a new setting may help students with a mediocre academic background, a difficult home environment, or a less than desirable circle of friends empower themselves with self confidence, new goals, an urgent desire to work hard and change everything they did not like from their “old” life. They are inspired to be better and to overcome any past experience that may have hindered their personal or academic development. So strong is the change they experience that when they go back home for a visit (or permanently) nostalgia is quickly replaced with a strange mixture of feelings: sadness at the discovery of how foreign they now seem in their native surroundings, and, at the same time, relief at such a discovery….

These feelings are later replaced with serenity, and a stronger desire to keep up and going their new lives. No turning back to the old ways.

Unfortunately, the “reset button” could also turn disastrous, as the opposite could occur: students with a pleasant life at home, a solid academic performance, etc., could find themselves turning into individuals they never wanted to be. Or, not as bad, but equally sad, nothing changes for the good. They return as they left: their foreign language skills are as good as they were before taking off, no new personal development took place, and their understanding of the world and other cultures remain unaltered.

Studying abroad can certainly give you the chance to fix things you do not like about your current lifestyle or personality. It is definitely an opportunity to mark a new beginning without the physical and psychological constraints and routines that are so difficult to combat at home. However, understand that we are talking about “a chance to”, an “opportunity to”….

To truly embrace and make the best out of all of the benefits an international education has to offer, however, you must be disciplined and work hard. The “reset button” is there to infuse the necessary adrenaline and inspire you to take control over your life and make it better, but it can certainly can be put to bad used or ignored. Your academic life will not improve if you do not work hard. Lost self confidence will not be regained if you do not change your attitude, etc….

Welcome abroad, here is your reset button. Use it well!