Go Overseas Spring/Summer 2014 Scholarship Launch and Volunteer and Study Abroad Survey Results

BERKELEY, Calif. - March 26, 2014 - PRLog -- Go Overseas, the Berkeley based reviews site for programs abroad, today announced the launch of the Spring/Summer 2014 Go Overseas scholarships for studying, volunteering, and interning abroad. Applications are being accepted now through June 2, 2014.

In its 3rd year, the semi-annual scholarship is awarded to one study abroad program participant and one volunteer/intern abroad program participant.Participants interested in consideration for the scholarship can submit an application here:  http://www.gooverseas.com/go-overseas-study-abroad-scholarship. And applications for the volunteer/intern scholarship can be submitted here:  http://www.gooverseas.com/volunteer-abroad-scholarship-application.

Applicants must complete surveys to apply. In addition to announcing the launch of their latest scholarships, Go Overseas is pleased to share key insights from the surveys of thousands of students who completed them as part of the scholarship application process for the Spring 2013 and the Fall 2013 scholarships.

Volunteer and Internship Abroad Survey Findings

According to the survey, the top 3 ways students find volunteer and internship programs abroad are via needs-based research, in terms of need for development abroad (38.3%) via a school resource such as a career center or study abroad office (23.6%), ) and via on an online resource/website (16.6%).

When it comes to motivations for volunteering abroad, the top 3 reasons include: giving back/making a difference (52.5%), cultural immersion/travel (28.6%) and getting outside one's comfort zone/personal growth (9.8%).

“Making a difference is an obvious motivation, but we found it interesting that the number 2 motivational factor for volunteering abroad was cultural immersion. An emphasis on working closely with the local community is very much in line with what we see as far as the most popular and effective volunteer programs,” observed Tucker Hutchinson, COO at Go Overseas.

A number of factors affect which volunteer programs participants choose. The top factor, according to the Go Overseas surveys, is program duration and impact of the volunteer project (69.4%). Type of volunteer activities (13.1%) and location (7.9%) are the number two and number three reasons.

Study Abroad Survey Findings

When it came to the reasons students chose to study abroad, the top factor was a desire for adventure (38.1%).  Academic benefits (34.1%) were a close second, with professional development (15.7%) coming in at number three.

In terms of ranking study abroad programs by preference, students identified three top factors in this survey. The top factor was location (42.7%). Cost (24.3%) was the number two factor and and academic rigor/ease (9.4%) was the number three.

As far as finding information for their study abroad, students relied on three primary resources: a program advisor (32.0%), a study abroad office (30.4%), online reviews (21.1%).

“As a review site for programs abroad, we were very pleased to find that just over 1 in 5 students relied on online reviews as one of the top 3 ways to learn more about study abroad, particularly given that many applicants came upon our scholarship via other sites,” remarked Hutchinson.

To view the full survey results, please visit: http://www.gooverseas.com/blog/why-how-people-choose-meaningful-travel-abroad