Do Drinking Abroad Programs Have A Studying Problem?

Many of today’s college students grew up listening to their parents reminisce about studying abroad. So, it's no wonder that programs abroad have seen a surge in popularity, even as they've undergone drastic changes.

Hundreds of thousands of students will leave the U.S. this school year to — at least in theory — hit the books in foreign countries. Butler University’s Institute for Study Abroad alone now sends about 3,500 abroad each year. In 1989, the program sent 57.

Here is a second statistic: A recent study at the University of Washington found that students studying abroad are likely to significantly increase, if not double, their alcohol intake while away.

Unlike their parents, who today’s students can likely thank for taking them on trips abroad — study abroad applicants are likely to have traveled. Rather than stepping out blinking into the foreign light, these 19- and 20-year-olds are going out on the town. Ironically, a generation whose passion for travel was fueled by early study abroad programs has, in taking their kids abroad, birthed a generation that sees similar programs as an excuse to party.