By Julia Marnin
The opportunity to study and live in another country is unlikely to occur again once you graduate from the College — that’s why every students should absolutely find the time to study abroad during their four years here.
It’s easy to become wrapped up in your own life and career after graduation, which makes it difficult to travel. This is why students at the College should step outside of their comfort zones and see the world now before they have adult responsibilities tying them down.
This semester, I am studying in Heidelberg, Germany. Before I arrived, I was both excited and scared. Do not let fear be the force that holds you back. I have learned that the best things happen when you do something that scares you.
The College provides amazing opportunities that every student should seize to experience another culture.
If it’s the process that worries you, don’t worry –– the College makes studying abroad easy. There are countless exchange programs and study centers all over the world that students can attend.
The advisers at the center for global engagement help find the right program for you. With the step by step application process, everything runs smoothly. Even if the area you would like to study in is not a part of an exchange or study center, the College can connect students to third party study abroad options as well.
Living in another country for a couple weeks, a semester or even a year can seem super long, but it’s not. It is only a moment in your whole lifetime and is sure to be an experience that you look back on as one of the best times of your life.
Even if studying abroad has not crossed your mind once, consider it. It provides an experience that cannot be achieved by vacationing in another country for a shorter period.
You will be immersing yourself in an entirely different culture and gaining new world perspectives that will allow you to grow in a variety of ways. Living in another country opens your mind and reminds you that there is a whole world out there that can be quite different than the American bubble you live in. You will try food you’ve never tasted and you will witness sights that are straight out of a National Geographic magazine.
Lifelong connections and friends can be made in the country you’re living in. Also lifelong friends can be made with the people you study abroad with. Together, you’ll make memories that you will share together forever.
You begin to learn so much about yourself as well as the other cultures you come in contact with. Also, you may even learn a new language and be able to take that home with you. Not to mention, studying abroad is a great resumé booster. It demonstrates your independence and adaptability.
Of course, studying abroad comes with challenges, but these are healthy challenges that will shape you into a stronger and smarter person. I am learning to live with less because I couldn’t pack my whole life into one suitcase and a couple bags for a semester. Also, I am learning to be smarter with how I spend my money.
There is a whole word out there waiting to be discovered, and students at the College should certainly diversify their college career by studying abroad.
Students share opinions around campus
"Should students study abroad in college?"
"You only get to see the world so many times. Once you get a job, it's hard to travel the world."
"It's good to get out of your comfort zone and experience other cultures."
