I always knew I wanted to study abroad in college. As I was looking at universities to apply to, I would always go to their study abroad presentation. When I decided to attend the University of Washington, I jumped into the first study abroad I could, and ended up studying abroad fall quarter of my sophomore year in Cádiz, Spain. That’s right, I’m currently writing this at my desk inside my host family’s apartment, just minutes away from some great Spanish beaches. Even though at first I was scared and hesitant to go abroad, I’ve come to realize it was one of the best decisions of my life. If you’re thinking about and considering study abroad, here’s why you should do it!
1. See the World
For a lot of people on the study abroad program with me, this is their first time outside the US, or their first time visiting Europe. Study abroad is an awesome way to be able to visit all those places on your bucket list at one time. Especially if you choose to study abroad in Europe, you can often find great deals on plane tickets and trains to travel to other countries (I got a flight to Italy for $20!!).
2. Learn to be Spontaneous
During your study abroad it’s easy to grab some friends, buy a train ticket, and spend the weekend in a cheap hostel in a different city. The best thing to do is learn how to budget your time in the week to get all your work done, so the weekends can be spent traveling and exploring.
3. Make Friends from around the World
It’s always good to get to know the local students who can show you the best bars and restaurants in town, but also go to the events for study abroad students. There you’ll meet tons of other people from a variety of countries who often can teach you about their own culture as well. I have made friends from Spain, Germany, Austria, England, and Mexico all while staying in Spain!
4. Experience a New Culture
Culture shock is real and will hit you at some point. Sometimes it’s the smallest things, such as realizing grocery stores don’t sell Goldfish Crackers. But embrace the cultural differences, find a new favorite snack food. In Spain, one of the most difficult things for me is the fact that lunch is eaten until 3pm, and dinner isn’t until 10pm. But I’ve come to love it because it forces to be significantly more productive in the morning, and then I can take a siesta after lunch.
5. Work on your Language Skills
Not all study abroad programs are in a different language. However, if you want to really work on perfecting your language skills, studying abroad is the way to do it! Whether it be learning French in Paris, or Japanese in Tokyo, studying abroad is the best way to learn how to apply the language you’re learning to real life.
6. Challenge Yourself
It’s difficult at first to be away from all your friends. You’ll see pictures of football games and parties, and get sad about not being with the people you know. But study abroad teaches you how to be independent, and how to challenge yourself to get out there and explore new places.
7. Have Fun!
Above all, go on a study abroad to have fun! Don’t look back during graduation and regret not studying abroad. Whether you take a short summer study abroad, or a year long exchange, this may be the only chance in your life to take some time away from your day-to-day routine and travel the world.