[originaltext] Eager to learn about different countries and cultures and ac

Eager to learn about different countries and cultures and acquire global skills, U. S. students are studying abroad in record numbers. (29)The increased numbers reflect a growing recognition by students and educators that an international experience is important to students’ future careers. While recent growth has been fueled in part by programs that offer study for shorter lengths of time than the traditional academic year, there has also been an increasing interest in studying in more diverse destinations.
     More than half the American students go abroad study in Europe, though fewer than in the past. Students have shown growing interest in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. (30)The top three major fields of study of Americans studying abroad are the social sciences, business and management, and humanities.
    Since 2001, New York University has been sending more students abroad than any other campus in the United States. It offers classes in Argentina, China, Ghana and several countries in Europe.
   (31)Ayla Schermer of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a nineteen-year-old business major entering her second year at N. Y. U. She wants to study in another country for the spring semester beginning in January, but she hasn’t decided which country to go to. The classes will cost more than 18,000 dollars, but that does not include transportation or housing.
    The strength of the euro against the dollar makes programs in Europe more costly than those in Argentina, for example. But Chris Nicolussi, student services director in the Office of Global Programs at N. Y. U., says the university has not seen any drop in the popularity of its European programs. He did say, however, that more students are interested in low cost activities organized by the university during their time abroad.