Educational and career experts believe today’s student needs to learn not just information but also resourcefulness, which they define as
the ability to search and find answers
the ability to use what they have to find solutions
Three students share what studying abroad has taught them about their own resourcefulness.
"Studying abroad has taught me a lot about my own resourcefulness. Just being in a different country and culture will force someone to become resourceful, whether they want to or not. Even the teaching methods in my classes this semester have taught me to be more resourceful. Since teaching methods tend to be fairly similar in the states, I wouldn’t have learned this aspect of resourcefulness without studying abroad. Since Europe is a lot easier to travel through, it makes our travel weekends that much easier. However, language barriers and culture play a factor. Just looking at my time in Italy, I can easily see where myself and my group had to be resourceful, whether that came to communication when a friend's wallet got stolen or train departures when ours never showed up on the board. In those situations, or almost any situation really, you can’t expect other people to do all of the work for you; finding solutions and being resourceful helps individuals grow, and it’s a lot easier to do that when you’re away from everything that you’re accustomed to." Danielle Smith, Rochester College, 2018 Vienna
"This is a very strange time in my life where I am not quite an adult but I am not just a child any more. I am able to use the excuse of my age to get away with doing something crazy but also must be responsible and recognize that younger ones are looking up to me. Resourcefulness is not a word I would typically use to describe myself but I have learned a lot more about independence and the responsibilities of an adult since coming to Vienna. Before this trip I was very dependent and have never been placed in the position to even have to buy groceries and necessities for myself. And this freedom has proved to be very rewarding and helped me learn a lot about who I am and how I work. I have thrived being here in Vienna and being able to become my own person. I am able to stand alone and know that I am not viewed based on my mom or dad or sibling, like I would be at home." Abbi Williams, Lipscomb University, 2018 Vienna
"Studying abroad in Vienna has taught me SO many things—about myself and about the world. One of the most important things it has taught me is that I’m way more independent than what I give myself credit for. Granted, I’ve had help from my resources (phone, transit passes, etc.), but I really didn’t think I would ever be doing this well in a foreign country without the safety of my family. One of the most frustrating and yet simultaneously rewarding moments of my experience so far has been getting lost on the way to church. I was heading to New City Wien church by myself one Sunday afternoon, and I got a little lost. The U4 line was down on the U-Bahn, so I had to improvise a way to get there. I walked myself in circles on the way there and back, BUT I didn’t give up, and I made it! It was that much more rewarding once I got there and was able to just sit and be still with God." Mason Rudolph, Lipscomb University, 2018 Vienna