March 14, 2010

Americans Shy Away From Study in Asia

Despite region's significance, U.S. colleges struggle to make inroads

Peter Blakely, Redux, for The Chronicle

Christopher Morrison, a junior at the U. at Buffalo, eats fast food in Tokyo: "I've eaten things I didn't even know existed," he says. He is studying Japanese at Tokyo's International Christian U.

By Karin Fischer

The growing global clout of China, India, and their Asian neighbors has American business and political leaders looking to the East.

But that orientation isn't reflected in study-abroad numbers. Just 11 percent of American college students who go overseas choose an Asian country. Europe remains the preferred destination, drawing more than half of all study-abroad students.

"In some ways, the media is doing a better job getting the American general public to pay attention to