This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ohio U chapter.
Being a college students provides many students with opportunities such as internships, free concerts and movies, meeting baby zoo animals, as well as study abroad. However, many students don’t realize until later in their college career about the opportunities offered to them. That’s why I’m writing to you, Collegiettes, to let you know about study abroad traveling and why it is necessary now in your college career more than ever.
You’re probably thinking ‘why would I want to study when traveling abroad?’ While that’s a very valid question, I’ll let you in on a secret: not only do you do schoolwork while abroad, the traveling is a type of study itself. I was blessed in my four years at Ohio University to be able to study abroad twice: once to Toledo, Spain and the other to Mérida, Mexico. I had class four days a week for each trip, and the fifth day was either a day off (AKA, spending the day at the beach) or dedicated to excursions in the program. Studying abroad with OU allowed me to do many things I may not be able to do later down the road.
In an OU study abroad program, each program has sets of excursions. Traveling while you’re in college is important because the university provides these excursions, and you wouldn’t be able to learn about many of the places we were able to visit without the university. Not only this, but your weekends are almost entirely free. When I was in Mérida, Mexico, we had one five-day weekend because of Carnaval. I was able to travel up and down the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and see many typical sightseeing places, but also visit ruins and sites I wouldn’t have been able to visit with my study abroad group.
In Spain, I was able to visit the National Cathedral of Toledo, the aqueduct and castle of Segovia, the Caves of Águila, and even El Escorial. In Mexico, I was able to visit the caves of Lol-Tún, the Mayan ruins of Uxmal, the Mayan ruins of Chichén-Itzá, Celestún, Kaxil Kiuic and the Ik Kil cenote. These were all just trips I took with the group while abroad; I took many weekends with my friends and traveled to other cities in both countries.
Through the excursions that were provided, I was able to see a different side of both cities (and countries) than I would have been able to if I were just a tourist. Studying abroad now as a student is important because you’ll not only learn in the academic sense, but you’ll also learn so many things that can help you down the road, in the real world. But, there are many perks to being a student.
Many of the art museums I visited in Spain, as well as the anthropology museum I visited in Mérida, have free admission to students. I was able to get into all of these places with the help of my handy dandy OU ID. Now don’t worry; I thought I was going to lose it too. I only brought my OU ID out when I thought it might be helpful — and it was. I was able to visit many places for free simply because I was a student, who will be able to say that if they haven’t traveled abroad?
The “non-educational,” if you will, places I was able to travel to were Madrid, Granada and Barcelona while in Spain; and Playa del Carmen, Izamal, Umán, Progreso, and even the Mayan ruins of Tulum in Mexico. In Mexico, I solely traveled throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, but in Spain I was able to travel throughout most of the country. These experiences I had that weren’t university sanctioned, but rather were just a weekend of me with my friends, also taught me valuable life lessons. One being how to understand, be able to read and commute via the metro. Another being to double check what room in the hostel I booked. Another knowing what part of town is considered “touristy” and what areas are considered “local.”
Not only were the places I visited amazing, the people I met were equally as amazing. I keep in contact with my host mom from Spain and my host mom from Mexico. I gained many friends in each country, and they also showed me the local way of life in each country. Gaining friends while abroad may seem a bit unconventional at first, but I discovered the friends I gained are friends who I will keep in contact with for life — regardless of if I ever return or not.
Even though you may have to do some homework while studying abroad, I urge all Collegiettes to travel abroad now, while in college, rather than waiting until later in life. Being a college student gives you so many perks while traveling! Not only this, many of the places you travel are included in the program fee and are free to you. Don’t forget, you’ll be able to meet so many people who will be lifelong friends along the way. Traveling abroad allowed me not only to learn about the Spanish language and the countries I was visiting, but also enabled me to learn more about myself as a person, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.
The Ohio University Office of Education Abroad can be reached at http://www.ohio.edu/educationa…