The waning days before spring break are a time of intense griping for Harvard students. They complain, with reason, about the long, unvanquished winter, about mid-terms that block the light at the end of the tunnel, and about a break so short it's like sitting down to a meal only to get kicked out after the tapas.

There must be something bittersweet about all that pain, however, because there are Harvard students who, even now, are knocking back pints of Guinness in Dublin, watching funny mammals with pouches in Australia, and feeling the Cape breeze on their faces in South Africa. And most of them will graduate on time along with the rest of their class.

These lucky students went to second floor of the Office of Career Services (OCS) last fall, or perhaps last spring, researched programs, filled out a few applications, and without too many tears and rarely any blood, got credit for studying abroad.

For a variety of reasons, very few Harvard students study abroad for credit during their undergraduate years--no more than five percent based on an unofficial estimate.

This makes Harvard unique among liberal arts colleges--some of which even require their students to take time off. Why do most Harvard students spend four years in Cambridge?

Too Much to Lose

Many students interviewed describe their decision to study abroad as a decision involving many trade-offs. Not only do students have to leave an often a hard-won sense of community at Harvard for the unknown, but they also have to sacrifice time at a school that boasts amenities ranging from a dynamic location, sterling academics and amazing people.

"When you're at school, school is your world," says Latasha Edwards '00, an economics concentrator who spent last fall studying in Australia. "When you come back you realize how you've grown past certain things."

"It's a double-edged sword. It can kind of make you happy to come back, or make you realize that you're ready to make your break," she added.

Despite the mixed feelings Edwards describes, many returning students feel a sense of invigoration as a result of spending time away from Harvard. They leave because they feel restless and return more satisfied with their Harvard environs.

"The best thing about being abroad is that it has made me appreciate Harvard so much more," says Alexandra V. Schmitz '00, who is currently in Paris for the semester. "It is nice to take a break from everything because I know that I will get back to enjoy my senior year and take advantage of all of the things that we often take for granted at Harvard."

But there are things about the Harvard life that make students want to stay in Cambridge. Departing for a semester or a year could jeopardize students' position in extracurricular activities.

"It was hard to get back and realize that lots of friends were presidents of things, whereas I had cut off my commitments at the end of sophomore year," says Amy L. Beck `00, who worked at an internship in Paris during the fall term. "It was hard to see that I had in fact made sacrifices. I didn't feel particularly committed to anything."

Despite worries about being "passed over," a far greater concern voiced by nearly all of the students interviewed was the potential for being estranged from close friends or the Harvard community at large. They find the time abroad is yet another fight to develop networks of friends--like being a first-year all over again.

"I've missed my friends and been largely isolated from their contact," says Marie E. Hicks '00, who is currently spending the year at Oxford University in England. Hicks says she has been forced to communicate with Harvard friend mostly via e-mail, since telephone calls are cost-prohibitive.