TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- For the second time in five months, Florida State has had to track students studying abroad after a terror attack.
After the Paris attacks last November, the university started making changes to how it monitors students.
The scenes from Belgium serve as another reminder about the risk of terror overseas, but Florida State says it's committed to encouraging travel.
"It's essential that our students gain an understanding of other cultures, other ways of thinking," said Dr. James Pitts, director of FSU's international programs, "and the only way they can really do that is to live in another culture."
The university has accounted for all students currently abroad, and for those who've traveled before, it's an experience they recommend.
"It opened my eyes to such a different world -- so many different cultures, so many different people," said senior Lauren Stuart. "It helped me discover passions I never knew I had."
Last week, the Forum on Education Abroad published a study on students' mortality rates -- finding students studying abroad are less than half as likely to die than students studying in the U.S.
But the university is keeping a closer eye on traveling students.
"We ask all of our students studying with us -- wherever they're studying to fill out an independent travel form," Pitts said.
"We just filled out the city where we were going, and our hotel plans," said senior Kevin Smith, who studied in Costa Rica. "It was pretty simple and not too much of a hassle."
After the Paris attacks, the university started making a digital database for the forms.
"Our directors at the various European study centers as well as the critical staff here in Tallahassee -- we can all have access to it," Pitts said.
Regardless, students say Tuesday's tragedy won't discourage them from travel.
"I'm definitely going to be on guard, though, and alert when I go over there -- just making sure that I'm following common sense," Smith said.
The university expects to have the database ready in the next two weeks.
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Tallahassee International Airport says operations have remained normal, and security has not been increased in response to the attacks.
Valdosta State University announced all of its students overseas have also been safe and accounted for.
