Study Abroad: Just Do It!

              Not to be too cliché and steal Nike’s slogan or anything, but seriously just do it! Last week when I was skyping with my cousin’s high school level Spanish classes, I was amazed by how few students raised their hands when I asked who wanted to study abroad when they got to college. Maybe it’s just the way I’ve been brought up; to fully appreciate traveling and seeing the world and learning about other cultures. Or maybe I just take for granted the opportunity I was given to study abroad. But I was certainly flabbergasted to say the least when only a couple of students raised their hands saying they were interested in studying abroad. I fully understand that not everyone has the opportunity to study abroad for various reasons: their field of study, college athletics, or finances (although many times studying abroad can be cheaper than taking classes at your university for a semester), but if you do have the opportunity to do so, I greatly urge you to do so.

            Studying abroad was one of the greatest experiences of my life thus far, and I have a feeling that it will continue to rank highly up there! It was such a wonderful experience for me that it is hard to put into words exactly how amazing it was! As I said before, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity and for everyone who gave that opportunity to me I am eternally grateful. I not only learned another language while I was living in Spain, but I also learned so much about another culture and people and about myself as well. I would absolutely not be the same person I am today if I had not studied abroad. First off I would not be bilingual, which is something that I highly value in my life and think is extremely important (and it makes me so upset when people don’t see the benefit in being bilingual, both in your personal and professional life). I would also not have met many of my friends and the people that I know today if I had not studied abroad. And I certainly would not have the same goals and aspirations as I do today in my personal and professional life. I would also most likely not have returned to Spain, not once but twice and would not be (hopefully) returning next year. So if you are reading this and are A) in college and considering studying abroad, B) in high school, or C) know someone who is in either of those previous situations, I highly urge you to study abroad. Follow Nike’s take on it and Just Do It!