For international students, the University of Pennsylvania remains a destination of choice in higher education. Penn also sends a high number of American students to pursue studies abroad.

According to Penn Global’s most recent figures for the 2014-15 academic year, Penn was home to nearly 6,200 international students from a broad list of countries on six continents. The campus hosted 192 foreign-exchange students.

During that period, approximately 500 students studied overseas in 41 countries and nearly 100 students participated in Penn’s International Internship Program placements through Penn Abroad. More than 1,800 students went abroad on credit-bearing programs from across the University during this period.

Penn was among the top U.S. campuses hosting the most international students in 2014-15 and the top campuses with the most students studying abroad in 2013-14 according to an Institute for International Education survey.  Penn also ranks among the top institutions sending students on study abroad trips.

“No Ivy League school sent more students abroad than Penn,” said Nigel Cossar, director of Penn Abroad.

Wharton junior Amy Shan of Madison, S.D., is one of the many Penn students seeking to become more active and engaged citizens of the world. The accounting and marketing major studied for a semester at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

She says that she gained a new appreciation for certain aspects of American culture, as well as a new perspective on international relations and various social issues such as climate change.

“Studying abroad made me realize that, although it’s good to get out of the ‘Penn bubble’ sometimes, it’s more important to get out of the ‘American bubble,’ to go abroad and view the world through the lens of a global citizen”

School of Arts & Sciences junior Connor Fairman is one of the undergraduate students taking advantage of study abroad opportunities made possible by scholarships.

A David L. Boren Scholarship recipient, Fairman is spending the academic year in China. This semester, he is in Shanghai at East China Normal University and in the spring semester he’ll be studying at Yunnan University in Kunming.

The international relations, East Asian languages and civilizations major from Ardmore, Pa., is pursuing his long-term goal to become fluent in Mandarin.

He says that every day he gets "reality checks" when he leaves campus and interacts with Chinese people of varying ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.

“Eventually, it all pays off when you realize one day that you not only can understand everything on the news but also know how to discuss your take on it with the person on the train next to you,” he says.