Writer Suggests Credits for Student Travel

New York Times journalist and traveler Nicholas Kristof is being quoted around the blogosphere with a recent piece advocating college credit simply for the act of student travel -- extra credit suggested for those getting malaria (health studies, you know).

Scholastic reward for the life-changing experience of world travel sans professor is very sensible; if you've traveled, you can tick off tons of real world education: geography through getting lost, sociology in another country's streets, and, of course, economics, or how to squeeze a euro until it squeals. Once-upon-a-time student traveler Kristof would like to see academic credit given for similar adventures:

"So here's my proposal. Universities should grant a semester's credit to any incoming freshman who has taken a gap year to travel around the world.

"In the longer term, universities should move to a three-year academic program, and require all students to live abroad for a fourth year. In that year, each student would ideally live for three months in each of four continents: Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe."

Capital idea, Mr. Kristof. We can dream; it would be a brave new world indeed if students could trade in boarding passes from round the world tickets for credit. Start some dialogue on your campus and you might get somewhere, though.

If your school currently offers any kind of academic credit for travel, get yourself to your advisor's office and learn how to take advantage of the program. Check into community colleges, too: many, like Seattle Central Community College, offer independent study credits for travel, and you can probably transfer the credits to your college -- ask your advisor. I earned a semester's worth of geology and anthropology university credits through my first community college-sponsored student travel; I won't ever forget it, and I never cracked a textbook to learn it -- turned in a way short paper and took home some A's and a new slant on life. On the other hand, who remembers much about 101 level classes suffered in a giant auditorium with hundreds of other miserable campus-tethered souls?

Win student travel through writing

Kristof most recently hit the news with a NY Times writing contest for student travelers happening now; the winning college student will traipse the developing world while blogging from camel back under Kristof's direction. Check it out, fire up the laptop and enter quick; the contest ends April 20.

Further reading

• Kristof: "You, Me and the Real World"
• Practical Nomad on Kristof
• San Francisco Chronicle on accredited student travel
• World Hum on Kristof
• EF Educational Tours -- group travel accreditation
• All about traditional study abroad -- high school and college, semester at sea, exchange student programs

_{Photos: Kathleen Crislip}