Regardless of the academic focus of a particular study abroad course, students are exposed to a broad range of culture in the places they visit. They learn in a hands-on manner, by total immersion.
Travel encourages students to be confident and flexible.
They learn to handle ambiguous situations posed by a lack of knowledge of cultural norms. This is an invaluable lesson that can be applied to a variety of different contexts. Students gain a greater understanding and appreciation of themselves as a product of their own culture by virtue of being exposed to differences. They gain a greater sense of social, political, cultural, and economic inter-connectedness of peoples, nation, and cultures. Mary Baldwin College students may spend a semester or a year abroad through a variety of programs, some sponsored by Mary Baldwin, some offered through a consortium of Virginia colleges, and some operated by other institutions.