On the Road in the 1960s
Top Tier Global Education Programs OVER THE past century, educational in- stitutions have been founded upon the theme of international understanding. Since 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship has brought students from the US and the British Commonwealth to the UK. Fol- lowing Rhodes, The Fulbright Program was launched in 1946 and now provides 8,000 grants a year. In 1962, during the height of the Cold War, United World College was founded by German educa- tor and philosopher Kurt Hahn. UWC now has 60,000 alumni who have gradu- ated from its 18 campuses located world- wide. Its first campus, Atlantic College in Wales, brings together 300 students from over 100 countries for their last two years of high school. Most recently, Schwarzman Scholars, which was found- ed in 2016 and is frequently referred to as the “China Rhodes,” annually brings over 100 students from around the world to a one-year Masters program in Global Af- fairs at China’s leading university, Tsing- hua in Beijing. Rhodes, Fulbright, United World Col- lege, and Schwarzman have all inspired and informed Baret Scholars, which builds upon and brings new scope and features to their pioneering work.
Chapter 4
BARET SCHOLARS is founded upon the long-standing belief that understand- ing the leading cultures of the world is an essential part of one’s cultural litera- cy. While Baret Scholars may take place during the year between high school and college or as a interlude during college, its structure is more akin to post-college scholarship programs. We think of it as a 5th year of college that occurs before or during the regular 4 years. For centuries, the desire to under- stand and explore other cultures has ex- isted, and the programs founded to fill this need have informed our work. Here’s a brief history of some and further back- ground information.
most in short-duration programs of less than a year and typically in one location. About 15% of US students spend some time abroad during their college years.
A Brief History of Studying the World
IN THE 1960s and 1970s, the idea and the limited geography of the original Grand Tour was expanded. Across the globe, hundreds of thousands of young people hit the road seeking discovery of them- selves and other cultures. Unlike the Grand Tours of earlier days, these were typically done on shoestring budgets and, mostly, with minimal planning. Though itineraries varied greatly, there were entire makeshift communities of students in certain destinations such as Marrakech and Essaouira (then Moga- dor) and villages on Crete’s southern coast. A famous route pushed East from Europe along what became known as the “Hippie Trail,” young people head- ing overland in battered buses and Land Rovers from Istanbul to Kabul, Kash- mir, and Kathmandu. The era spawned books and music, including On the Road Again , recorded by the American blues- rock group Canned Heat in 1967.
4 Year College Study and Postgraduate Work Abroad
DRIVEN BY the desire to seek the best col- lege experience, students worldwide do 4-year college programs and postgrad- uate education abroad. The T.I.M.E. Association in France conducted a 2021 study on student overseas education. It reported that millions of students seek bachelor’s, master’s and PhD’s abroad, the largest contributors being:
The Grand Tour
IN THE early 1600s, Europeans intro- duced the idea of a “Grand Tour” as part of a young person’s education. By the 1900s, most young men of privilege did grand tours of leading European soci- eties, often accompanied by tutors (or cicerones as they were called then). The average Grand Tour lasted at least a year. The experience was an educational rite of passage, particularly for young, aris- tocratic, English men. Edward Gibbon said, “... foreign travel completes the education of an English gentleman.” However, British travelers were not the only nationalities on the road. From the 1600s, young men from countries such as Denmark, France, Germany, the Neth- erlands, Poland and Sweden all went on similar journeys, thinking of it as an im- portant way to complete their education. Americans of the 19th century Gilded Age expanded the Grand Tour idea to include both sexes. The less privileged tried to mimic the idea, as Mark Twain captured in his enormously popular In- nocents Abroad in 1869. Further, in 2009, the BBC/PBS miniseries based on Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens presented the Grand Tour idea as a rite of passage.
China
993,367
India
375,055
Germany
122,538
Vietnam
108,527
Semesters and Years Abroad
South Korea
101,774
France
99,488
United States
84,349
THE IDEA of “studying abroad” dates back to the 12th century when Holland- ers came to England to spend time at Oxford University. And across the cen- turies there are many examples, most sporadic. The 20th century saw a dra- matic rise in semesters and year-abroad activity across the globe. In 1919, the Institute of Interna- tional Education (IIE) was created by Nobel Peace Prize winners Nicholas Murray Butler and Stephen Duggen, and in 1923, the University of Dela- ware launched America’s first officially credited study abroad program. That year, eight students embarked on a six- week trip to France. Over the years, that original program developed into what eventually came to be known as Junior Year Abroad (JYA). It paved the way for other universities to develop their own international semesters and years abroad. Today, about 350,000 US students a year do some study abroad,
Gap Years ACCORDING TO the Gap Year Association, 30,000–40,000 U.S. college students annually take a gap year prior to start- ing college. The number one use of their time: see the world, perhaps inspired by Steve Jobs, who spent a year abroad be- fore college. Gap year numbers are ex- pected to jump dramatically, with recent research showing that 40 percent of US high school seniors consider the gap year idea. Leading universities are also pro- moting gap years. For 40 years, Harvard has endorsed gap years and, today, actu- ally recommends them in its admission letter to students. British parents are re- ported to spend nearly one billion pounds per year to fund gap years for their recent high school graduates.
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BARET SCHOLARS
BACKGROUND & VISION
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