Though almost every school offers some sort of program for studying abroad, many students do not take advantage of it. I first heard about the study abroad program when I visited my brother at college while I was in middle school. I found it crazy that he didn’t want to go. Who wouldn’t want to take a vacation where you get credit for a few humanities courses and explore a whole new region of the globe?
I don’t understand why he didn’t want to go, but that’s not going to stop me! Here are my top reasons to study abroad:
1. Discover new cultures
I am a true believer that you can never really get to know a different culture unless you fully submerge yourself in it. There is no better way to discover the secret little nuances of a culture than by going out and experiencing it for yourself. A classroom here can do its best to teach you all the little tricks for speaking a language or what the traditional food is, but when it comes down to it, there is no better way to learn than to experience it first hand.
2. A rare opportunity
As broke college students, we know that there are limited opportunities for us to be frivolous with our money. Sure that dress in a boutique down the street is very nice, but wouldn’t it be much nicer if you could say you bought it in France? Oftentimes, the cost to spend a semester abroad is about the same as tuition for a semester here in the U.S. So why not travel just a little bit further to learn? We should always take advantage of every opportunity that is offered to us, and one of the best opportunities that we have is to get an education.
3. Live without limits
So often we are limited by what we see around us. Placing ourselves in a new environment within another part of the world is a great way to open our perspectives. My best example of this was a German woman who sat down next to me in a café in my town and started to talk to me. Normally, this would have never happened, as everyone in the U.S. carries the don’t-speak-to-me-until-I’ve-had-my-coffee mindset. However, she shared with me about her time in Germany and how she met almost all of her friends by striking up conversations with strangers over an espresso. Taking on the ways of new cultures allows us to experience a world that we would not have had the chance to otherwise.
4. Be immersed in a new language
There is no better way to learn a foreign language than to immerse yourself in it. Though our language teachers will try their hardest, it is very difficult to learn the mannerisms and ways of a language without talking to native speakers and copying their accents and phrases.
5. International friends and experiences
Don’t forget about all the stories that you are going to come home with and tell for years to come. The experiences you will have on your trip will stay with you forever. You will be able to compare cultures firsthand and show others the differences that they cannot see themselves. Also, pen pals are not a thing of the past. Studying abroad is the perfect way to keep connections in other countries so that you can expand your world beyond the confines of national boundaries. It is the perfect way to utilize the new language skills you have picked up, and maybe in the future, you will have a familiar place to come back to when you want to go on vacation again.
What are you waiting for, Bobcats? Now is as good a time as any to travel the world. In fact, after you graduate, you may not get another chance to experience something so freeing at such an incredible time in your life. So attend that alternative spring break info session and think about spending a semester (or two!) abroad.