Young people who study abroad gain from the international experience and are more open and emotionally stable, according to scientists. The fact that more and more German students consider one or two terms at a university abroad as necessary promoted psychologists to try to find out what they gained in terms of personal development.

The number of German students who spent some time at a foreign university has more than doubled over the last few years and it is estimated that about a quarter of all German students have gained some form of international experience. According to the research by the psychologists at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena it leads to further career success.

Studying in a foreign country also has positive effects on the students’ personal development, says the research which is described as the most comprehensive study into the effects of studying abroad. ‘To find one’s way in a foreign country is an important life experience. Such experiences have influence on the personality development of young adults,’ said Professor Franz Neyer. Along with Dr Julia Zimmermann he conducted an online study that followed a sample of more than 1,000 students from about 200 German universities over the course of an academic year.

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The sample included students who were planning to go abroad as well as a control group of students who stayed in Germany during that time period. All students completed three online questionnaires, the first one shortly before the beginning of the term either abroad or in Germany, the second and third one five and eight months later, respectively. The questionnaires included measures of the big five personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional stability that are considered to constitute the basic dimensions of human personality.

‘Those students who are about to study abroad are, even before they leave, more open minded, conscientious and extravert than their fellow students who stay at home,’ said Zimmermann who herself studied in France with the European ERASMUS programme.

The psychologists assessed the personality changes brought about by studying abroad. ‘Those who spent some time abroad profited in their personality development, for instance in terms of growing openness and emotional stability. Their development regarding these characteristics clearly differed from the control group even when initial personality differences were taken into account,’ she explained.

The researchers identified the much higher numbers of international contacts as a mechanism to explain these differences in personality development. ‘People who integrate successfully into a different culture may find it easier to cope with new situations and master challenges,’ said Zimmermann. ‘However, it is not imperative to go abroad to gain these experiences. But those who hit the road clearly benefit from the experience,’ she added.