The above selfie was taken on my study abroad trip this summer in Graz, Austria during a trip we took to Slovenia. Did I know these people before I got here? No way. Do I love them to death and have some of my best college memories with them? Absolutely.
Studying abroad is an opportunity that almost always can only happen during your time at IU. It’s a once in a lifetime chance that you just gotta take. The friends, the experience, the total disasters make being gone for months on a time somewhere new totally worth it. Still not sold? Just keep reading.
Top 7 Reasons to Study Abroad
1. Unexpected Friends
Off you go on your too early flight for too many hours, possibly to a place where you don’t know the language well enough or at all. Eventually it’s the first day of classes and you see no one you know in the same room. But something is different about this environment compared to your calc class on the billionth floor of Ballantine. You know no one else in this country and these kiddos are your only outlet and resource you have with you. There is something special about being forced into the same, foreign place for an extended period of time. These strangers become your family, forever. From the stories you can tell your friends to the secrets you keep from your professors about the other night, these strangers become your new family.
2. Travel, Travel, Travel
Do you know how easy it is to travel during your study abroad? For example, I was in Austria and went to Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, and Germany for weekend trips. You know where we can go for weekend trips here? Like as far as Kentucky. Plus, it is cheap. Buy a student discount pass and takes trains and stay in hostels. You can see the world when you’re away so you might as well take the chance.
3. There’s a Place for Everyone
The IU Office of Overseas Study has binders on binders of places you can study abroad. They span all across the globe during any time of year (year, fall/spring semester, summer, breaks, everything). Have a country that’s not on the list? No problem. They help you take the steps to find a program that fits your wants and needs and set you up with getting credits to transfer and finding financial aid. The possibilities are endless.
4. Cultural Exchange
Did you know in Austria you have to look someone in the eye when you toast? Did you know in France it’s two cheek kisses instead of one? These are just some cultural mannerisms that you pick up on when you study abroad. Plus, there is the interaction with actual natives (do not mean to sound like we are on a safari). From the conversations that you have with local students or host families, you learn so much about how the US differs from your location, yet how similar people are. And sometimes, after all that time, you find a home away from home. I have a place to go whenever I go back to Austria. I have a second mother and a little sister. These people change your world forever.
5. Independence
Flying alone to another country begins your new found independence. You might get lost or miss a flight. But you learn from it. Being away from the familiar for so long makes you adjust to fending for yourself. You’ll come back from your experience abroad and be able to say “I lived in another country when I was 20 years old and did just fine.” It’s an accomplishment that not only feels great, but is an impressive act in itself.
6. FOOD
One word: Dӧner. It’s a beautiful, fast food that you just have to try, sober and not so sober. Foreign cuisine always tastes good and will always be worth trying. Eat as much new food as you can because once you leave the country, you’ll have to wait for the next trip overseas to eat your new favorite food.
7. The disasters that make the best stories
From our train breaking down in Slovenia to getting lost in Venice to losing someone in Vienna, disasters happened. They are crazy and stressful, but looking back on them they are so funny. You don’t study abroad only for the academics, which are vital, but you go for the experiences you will have. These same people will never be in the same place again and recreate the same experience. Cherish the memories you make and encourage others to do the same.
So get out there. Find somewhere you want to go and talk to the Office of Overseas Studies. Money will come and go, but every last dime you spend on your study abroad is worth the memories and the valuable experiences you earn.
photo credit: Emax-photo“>https://www.flickr.com/photos/maxfocus2009/7664034712/”>Emax-photo via photopin“>http://photopin.com”>photopin cc“>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>cc