Nicholas Kristof on study abroad...

A great column on getting a real education... in Chad.

"Universities are — oh so slowly — recognizing that they need to prepare students to survive globalization. But most overseas studies programs are both too short and too tame. They typically involve sending a herd of students for a term in France or Italy, where they study a little and drink a lot together, amid occasional sightings of locals. That's why I bring up Ndjamena, this dusty capital of one of the poorest countries in the world. A student living independently here could learn French and Arabic, and would emerge with a much richer understanding of the world than could be taught in any classroom."

He goes on to announce a contest where he will take a university student on a foreign reporting trip... will an SCU student win?