A majority of us college students say we want to get the most out of our college experience. Whether through joining different clubs and organizations, meeting new people or even just passing all of our classes, we want to enter a new era in our lives. I believe that studying abroad is a huge part of making the most of our college experiences and opens the door to new opportunities.
Many students get excited about the opportunity to go away to college and gain independence from their parents while also gaining life skills. However, I don’t believe that many students look beyond those benefits to even greater opportunities, such as studying abroad.
The many benefits that come with studying abroad include the opportunity to experience a foreign culture and cultural differences. I know I am a person who wants to experience new cultures, to get a feel for how others live and the things they are used to doing that are different from the things I do. There is no better way than traveling to a different country to truly experience the culture. It is one thing to experience Spain through a photo or read articles about people who have traveled to Spain and their experiences. But wouldn’t you rather travel to Spain yourself, to create your own memories and learn the cultural differences firsthand?
This is the time when we, as students, are trying to figure out exactly what we want in life. Studying abroad provides the opportunity to learn things about ourselves that would help in personal growth as a college students. It is believed to help students become more mature and increase their self-confidence. When you are pushed out of your comfort zone, you gain more knowledge about yourself. Taking the opportunity to study outside of the country is one way to learn more about your capabilities and yourself, in general.
Group Manager and European Marketing for the Navitas Education Group Dee Roach believes students are more open to new knowledge and expertise when abroad. And that students must apply and adapt their knowledge more in situations that require international interaction, so students who have gone abroad can expect to be more competitive in today’s era of globalization.
Studying abroad provides the opportunity to gain new skills and grow as an individual. It exposes you to different cultures and different landscapes. If you are concerned about how you are going to pay for it, there are scholarships for which you can apply and fundraisers that can be arranged, along with talking to your school’s financial aid office. I believe that studying abroad is an opportunity that should not be passed up because it is essential to learning and to the college experience.
