Why Should You Study Abroad?

by: Sara Nigro

Over spring break, I recently went on a college road trip with a few of my friends to Virginia to look at UVA, James Madison University, William and Mary, as well as the University of Richmond. This being my first time looking at colleges, I learned many new details about the experience of college, what to expect, and the varying features that each school had to offer their students. Although there were a lot of interesting facts and statistics about education, sports, and other extracurriculars, what automatically captivated me was the programs available to study abroad. Similarly to many others, I plan to and would absolutely love to travel to as many places as possible, learn about other cultures, have new and different experiences, and develop my skills in several languages.

In all of the colleges I visited, studying abroad was a very popular attraction to up and coming freshman, most likely since we are much more advanced in our ways of travel and education than we used to be. One of the best reasons to consider studying abroad is that unlike a vacation, you get to stay for more than just a few weeks as well as getting to accomplish whatever you would be learning at your school in the US, but with a different surrounding, new people, and all the fun of a vacation. 

Although traveling while learning is not all fun and games, it can also be extremely beneficial to the learning and real world experience of the student. For example, it develops communication skills through advancing in new languages, it increases global awareness of what is actually happening in the world since we only have a sneak peek through the news that we receive, and also can help you grow as a person as well as learn about yourself through learning about other cultures and people.

Studying abroad is often overlooked because to some it sounds impractical and even inconvenient to since you would be living in a different country away from your home for extended periods of time, yet it is such a valuable opportunity that should be taken advantage of. Now with schools so easily allowing you to transfer your credits t o enable you to travel across the world, you should take the schools up on their offer. This experience is giving everyone the chance to grow and develop into the best version of themselves and if possible I recommend giving it a try to enhance your style of life.