Leaving our Elon bubble for a full semester is a very daunting thought for some people. Missing out on events, friends and yearly Elon traditions may draw students away from studying abroad for a full spring or fall semester. Fortunately for us, Elon offers a large variety of winter term courses that travel across the United States and around the world. I was lucky enough to study abroad in Australia for three weeks in January learning all about the country’s ecotourism and sustainability efforts. While there, I realized how perfect a three week study abroad program really is and how much you can pack into 21 days abroad. Here are the six reasons why you should study abroad for Winter Term if a full semester is not for you.
1. You can experience more in three weeks in countries than some people do in a full semester.
Most of the winter classes Elon offers are scheduled and planned out ahead of time in regards to what will be happening each day you are abroad. At the end of our course, our professors said to us in the airport, “We probably covered more of Australia than students who study here for a semester.” This spread smiles all around the group because we all had a sense of accomplishment. Knowing we covered almost all sides of the continent in three weeks was truly a rewarding feeling leaving Australia.
2. Committing to three weeks is easier than three months.
Homesickness is a real feeling lots of people experience, even while they are just away from Elon for a few months. It is a hard adjustment living in a new country and culture where you have never traveled before. Three weeks abroad for winter term with a busy schedule leaves little time to worry about what is going on at home or at school. You go through a small adjustment period of a few days, fall in love with the country and then realize it’s week three and you have to leave in a couple days. Time flies when you are having fun and it especially flies by in a three week course.
3. You move around. A lot.
After flying 16 hours to the land down under, our professors had us drop our bags at our hotel and meet them at a cricket arena for a three hour tour. This helped us fight the jet lag and stay awake so we could get adjusted as quickly as possible. Over the course of three weeks, we traveled to four major cities and stayed in nine different hotels. It consisted of a lot of unpacking and repacking our suitcases, but moving around made the whole course fly by in a blink of an eye. Without traveling and going from city to city, we would not have seen as much of Australia as we did.
4. It’s the perfect time to step out of your comfort zone.
With a limited amount of free days, you will make the most of each one you have. Maybe you’ll go skydiving spontaneously your first day in Sydney with most of the students in your class. Jumping out of a plane with seven people knowing I had no idea who they were two weeks earlier made the experience more enjoyable. I’ll look back and remember all of those faces I saw on the plane while screaming bloody murder at 15,000 feet in the air. Our course consisted of very rigorous activities that required a lot of energy and support. With 30 other students by your side, everyone learns to push each other for a great outcome and experiences we will never forget.
5. You create bonds with students you didn’t know before the course.
Before the course, I only had a couple of friends I knew in my class, but by the end I could say I made great new friendships that will continue for the rest of my time at Elon. Every meal we ate was with a different group of people and there was never a dull moment in our conversations. We learned about each other’s lives while absorbed in a different culture, but that made it more special. I’m happy to say I’ve already seen more familiar faces around campus that I never would’ve known beforehand, and that we have already scheduled reunions because we miss each other too much already.
6. You’ll have lots of “firsts.”
There will be many adventurous activities to participate in while abroad because you would never be able to experience them at home. With only three weeks in a country, you will make sure to make the most of all the time you have. On our course, we never held back from trying new things, meeting new people and absorbing ourselves in the country. Because we remained in Australia the whole course, we never had the pressure of waiting to travel until the weekends since the whole course was scheduled to the minute.