“You have to study abroad.” Everyone says this and it gets annoying, until you do it and you become the one telling everyone to study abroad.
This is why you MUST: besides the wonderful classes adapted to the international environment, you are in another country! Through studying abroad, you will have the experience of traveling with your classmates on excursions; together exploring the cities in your new native country. They will take you to the most touristy attractions covered with thousands of people, and you will be sweaty and thirsty. At the time, you will dread it and feel miserable, however you will effortlessly look back upon those times and laugh. They will take you to the most local locations, where you will feel like you fit in and could see yourself growing old there. These are the times and moments that will make a mark on your time abroad and provide you with a feeling of utter happiness.
My main goal was to travel, travel, travel. Surprisingly, it is a lot cheaper to travel around Europe than it is to travel in the states. So my advice is to save up as much money as you can, and be very prepared to spend it all. It is easy to say that you want to travel, but it is another thing to raise money and plan it. Once you get out of good ol’ Utah and see what is outside, you will be amazed and not want to come back soon! The world is huge and there is SO much to see.
In two months, I was able to travel to five different countries, wander around countless cities, while completing 9 credits of classes. I made endless memories and friendships that I will never forget and that will honestly last a lifetime. I know people always say, “just do it, it will be amazing.” And those people, one of them being me, is not lying. I have learned and grown as a person from studying abroad in ways I did not think were possible. Looking back on college when I am older and telling my children about my experience, I know that studying abroad will be at the top of my list!