When I was looking in to colleges, I always knew I needed to go to a college where studying abroad was an option. Let me tell you, I had no idea just how monumental that decision would be and how that would impact the rest of my life. I can't say enough good things about how great of a decision it was for me to study abroad. So I'm not even going to try and instead, just get in to all the reasons why you should study abroad during your time in college.
1) Personal growth
This might be the more obvious one and could probably be broken down in to subcategories but there are so many reasons to study abroad that I had to condense this one. When I studied abroad, I grew exponentially. I grew in the way I interacted with people, the way I understood different cultures and different people, and I became more independent (which was huge for me because I was always a very dependent person). I learned so much about myself while I was abroad, all of which I could have only learned when I put myself out there. Everyone is stretched and pulled in different ways when they are abroad, which is amazing because everyone's growth is unique to them. But you won't experience that sort of growth if you don't study abroad.
2) Testing your limits
I remember the first night was the hardest night for me when I arrived abroad in Paris. I had never been to France, had never taken French, didn't know anyone in my program, and was hundreds of thousands of miles away from my family. I dived straight past what I thought was my limits by studying abroad. I pushed myself to my limits and realized those limits were actually my limits at all. You never know what boundaries you might be setting for yourself until you step over that line and realized that boundary wasn't actually a boundary at all.
3) Easy and cheap travel
This was one of my favorite reasons for studying abroad! Now I don't know how relevant this is to other continents besides Europe, but I studied abroad in Paris so I'm speaking from that perspective. Traveling in Europe is really cheap and very easy and it was one of my favorite things to do on the weekend. When I was abroad, I traveled to at least 9 different cities and it was incredible! I got to see new places, experience different cultures, expand my horizons, and eat different, amazing food! It's one of the greatest parts about studying abroad and I promise you will never be in a similar situation the rest of your life, unless you move abroad.
4) Memories
I've recently started transcribing my Study Abroad journal into an actual journal and I can't believe the memories I made from studying abroad. Unique, amazing memories that no one else has. I remember drinking horrible boxed wine in Rome as my friends and I sat on a bridge overlooking the Vatican lit up at night. I remember taking a spontaneous trip to one of the local parks in Paris with a friend and reading The count of Monte Cristo with a bagette and amazing cheese as my friend napped next to me in the grass. I remember visiting Mykonos and finding this rock in the middle of the water overlooking the infamous windmills after a rain as the sun was setting, turning the white stucco in to a beautiful orange as the water lapped at my feet. It was the most peaceful spot I've ever encountered in the entire world. But I never would've had any of those experiences if I hadn't studied abroad
5) Friends
Obviously you get to meet new people. And yes, who knows if you will stay in touch with them, but I will always remember the heart to hearts I had with the amazing people I met there and the incredible experiences we shared. The ups and the downs. The amount of trust we needed to have in each other in such a short amount of time knowing each other. I may never see those amazing people again but I am so much better for having met them. And you never know who might pop back up in your life. A few years after I studied abroad, I ended up going back to Paris with a friend. It just so happened that one of my friends from abroad saw a Facebook post about the trip and she was going to be in Paris the same time I was. I hadn't talked to her in years and it was so incredible meeting back up in Paris, just like old times. So you never know how those friends will influence your life.
6) Culture and history
There are so many little culture nuances that you may never know about until you live there for a time. For example, I learned that Paris does not have good avocados. They are stringy and not what I was used to, but that's okay. I was still in Paris! I also learned that politics and religion are not talked about in public but will sometimes be talked about in the home. I also learned that women, when they go out, are not flashy about it but will instead bring their makeup and heels in a bag to the club and then get ready in the bathroom. I found my favorite spots to eat, my favorite spots to get coffee, and learned that Parisians and known for being super busy and fast-paced because they eat sandwiches for lunch. Apparently that is not looked on a being a good thing when you are out in the French countryside because they take time to enjoy their meals but more importantly, enjoy the company. The things you learn about the people and place cannot be learned with just a visit.
7) Create new interests
This one is a great one. Because you are in a once in a lifetime opportunity, you have a tendency to try more. For example, I learned that I am interested in experiencing all different types of coffee shops (which may sound super basic and cliche, but it's what I love doing, especially when I was abroad). I also learned that I really like Impressionist art work, especially artwork done by Monet. I never thought I would be interested in abstract art because, as an artist, I tend to paint more realistically. But when I was abroad, I came to appreciate abstract art and even have a passion now to try it
8) Broaden your language
As I stated, I didn't know any French when I left to study abroad for the semester. And that was terrifying to me. But I walked away almost being able to hold a basic conversation with someone. And it's actually really funny because I find people using French occasionally in different movies and most of the time I am able to understand what they are saying, even if there are no subtitles of what they said. You understand language in a different way when you start immersing yourself in it. You learn different slang and coloquial ways of saying things. It makes you feel a part of the culture and a part of the people. Plus you get to learn different accents and you can mess with people when you get back to the states (only if you want to though).
9) Different perspective on world events
I don't know if you remember or even heard about the Ukraine situation a few years back involving Russia. Well, I was a few hours plane ride from where it was all happening and it definitely was a real situation to my whole class and I. We deviated from the curriculum in my Media class for 2 weeks because we wanted to study and be aware of that event and what was going on there. It was crazy. And then when the Paris massacres happened, it really hit home for me, since I knew people who were actually affected by that event. When you study abroad, you get a different perspective on what is happening in the world because you aren't in your "safe American bubble" anymore.
10) Makes you stand out as a job applicant
This one is really cool. Surprisingly, there are a lot of college students who don't study abroad. So when an employer comes across someone who has spent any amount of time abroad, it makes you stand out. And employers know all the benefits you get from studying abroad, learning to deal with different people, learning to be independent and think for yourself, learning to be respectful of others cultures and languages. It's a huge advantage to have studies abroad and employers really value that.
11) Connect with people in a different way at home
You never know when your time abroad might resurface in a conversation with a random person. But it's absolutely incredible to relive those study abroad days with someone who has been to the same places you have traveled. It's an instant connection. Plus it's so much fun to share in experiences with people and talk about different cultures and different places with people.
I can promise you, studying abroad is one of the biggest highlights from my time in college. And I promise, if you don't study abroad, you will regret it in the future. Almost everyone I have talked to who didn't study abroad regrets it. If you have the opportunity, take that leap and get ready to grow in more ways then one.
Love, Taylor