It's no secret that studying abroad is a life-changing experience. You get school credit, foreign language practice, a boost to your resumé and of course, several enviable profile pictures and cover photos. Every first-time traveler dreams about the places they will see and the adventures they will have. They also worry about the homesickness, the cost, the fear of being a foreigner and the fear of being alone. As a study abroad returnee and employee of my university's study abroad office, I'm all too familiar with these concerns. Is studying abroad worth it? I can confirm that it is, and that it will change your life. Here's how:
1. You will become a global citizen—the United States will no longer be the center of your world.
Your home country is everything you know. No amount of television or books can compare to what living in another country is actually like. Once you adjust to life in a different culture, you will begin to see how the locals do things. When you return home, you will live with an awareness that the world is bigger than yourself and your surroundings. Not everyone thinks like your society does or acts as your society does—and that's important to keep in mind.
2. You will make friends whose lives, values and views are completely different from yours.
If you take it upon yourself to get out of the "American bubble" and make meaningful connections with locals, a simple conversation can reveal a lot about another culture. Relationships that overcome language and cultural barriers will stretch you to be more open-minded, understanding and appreciative of the things you learn from your new friends. In turn, they will learn from you as well. They may never visit your home, but they will see it through you.
3. You will see your life from the outside looking in.
Being in a place where nothing, and sometimes no one, is familiar can be a perfect opportunity for self-reflection. Sometimes all it takes is a little distance to make problems back home seem clearer. A few weeks or months in another country can help in returning with a refreshed—and broadened—outlook on life.
4. You will experience the addictive feeling of seeing a new place for the first time and all the beauty that exists there.
There really is nothing more inspiring than seeing a place you've only ever imagined and heard about. Setting foot in a city on the other side of the world for the first time can take your breath away. Appreciating all the beauty in the foreignness and newness of a place will make you want to see more and more of the big, beautiful world we live in.
5. You will touch the history of another place that you may have learned about in school.
In addition to seeing a new place for the first time, you'll more than likely see places you've learned about in history and language classes, too. Being able to touch and gaze upon a famous part of history, sometimes centuries older than the United States, will remind you how ancient and complex the world really is. You walk in the footsteps of many before you.
6. You will gain a new appreciation for your own culture as well as the culture you travel to—as long as you keep an open mind.
Keeping an open mind may be one of the hardest things to do while abroad, especially once the homesickness sets in. But if you do your best to welcome all new and different things, you may end up understanding more about the reasons behind them and about your host country's culture. Your host family, if you have one, will not be like your family at home. But they want to make you a temporary part of their family and show you what their life is like. When you begin to appreciate the differences, you will also become more thankful for the way things are at home.
7. You will also gain a better understanding about your own culture and why you do the things you do.
Once you begin to understand the reasons behind why certain cultures do the things they do, you will have insights into the reasons we Americans do what we do. While abroad, you'll gain a lot more by thinking, "Why is this different?"
8. You will better understand and be able to relate to international students at your university and in your community because you were an international student.
It takes a lot to be a foreigner in any country. Once you see what it's like to be an outsider looking in, you will remember the locals you met abroad who gave you insights to their culture and you will want to give others those same kind of insights to your own culture. You know what it's like to be intimidated by something that's different. You can make it less scary and more fun for international students and visitors in your own community.
9. You will become more confident in yourself.
Traveling is a big deal. You cross mental, physical and national borders. You see things and places you've read about. You form relationships with people who are very different from you. You expand your horizons. You plan flights, take trips by trains, book hostels—this is no small feat. You have traveled. You have seen the world. You can do anything!
10. You will want to do it again.
Expanding your horizons, meeting new people, understanding new customs—it's an addictive feeling. There's always more to learn, more places to see—and see them you will. Once you see a little bit of the world, you'll want to see it all.
