Some people have thought about studying abroad for a while. They’ve known that it was something they wanted to do when they got to college. They’ve planned out where they want to go and for how long, and have been striving for that ever since. I was the opposite, I never thought about studying abroad because it just wasn’t something that seemed accessible to me.

I was lucky enough to be required to study abroad in Rome for a semester as a part of my scholarship program. I would have never known how great of an experience this could be. It's something I deem necessary for all young college students. As someone who has never traveled much at home, or out of the nation, here’s a few reasons why I would recommend studying abroad to anyone thinking about going to college or just debating whether or not to go.

1. Get out of your comfort zone!
   1. College is all about learning, whether it’s learning about what you care about most or want to work on in the future, or learning about who you are and who you want to become. Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to learn about yourself outside of the societal constructs of America. You find out who you are and how you fit in to different cultures, what your tastes are (whether they be related to food, ideas about you significant other, fashion, etc.), if you adapt well to new situations, if you love another culture and may want to learn more about it, or if you just miss the US because it is what you know.
2. Purposeful Culture Shock: “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
   1. I have found that a lot of people don’t realize just how different other places are. I never really traveled anywhere, much less out of the States. When I came abroad I didn’t realize how astronomically different one place can be from the next. The architecture is different, the streets are different, driving is different, food is different, and language may be different. This sort of purposeful culture shock was such a good thing because I realized that traveling is meaningful and there is so much that can be learned from it. There’s so much more to the world than what we are taught at home. As Seneca says, “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”
3. Here’s to a little dose of self-discovery!
   1. Growing up is all about learning about yourself. You learn what you like and don’t like, what you want to do (and don’t worry if this changes over the course of time), where you want to live, what you want out of life, etc. Studying abroad has given me time to see these things in a different way. I’ve learned that languages are amazing and I want to continue to learn them. I also love the way Italian men and women dress. I appreciate their dedication to having leisurely face-to-face time; something I am enjoying with my friends and want to do even when we go back home. I want to go home and make so many changes to my life in the U.S. because of things I’ve picked up since I’ve been here. It’s easy to make a plan when you’re at home and everything is what you are used to. When you are abroad and still have goals for where you want to be at a certain point, you are actually forced to think long and hard about it; I would say more so than at home. I wanted to be published by the end of my sophomore year, I want to have a great internship for the spring/summer, and I want to be able to stay in NYC during the summertime. I hadn’t really thought about how to achieve these goals that much, but being that I’m not at home and don’t have access to all of the same conveniences that I am used to, I’ve been planning extensively, because when I get back I want to be able to hit the ground running.

At the end of the day, whether or not you want to study abroad is your decision. I know my reasons aren’t many but I encourage you to find some reasons for yourself. Think outside of everything you’ve ever known and ask yourself “what could I gain from seeing the world?” I could answer that question for myself but we’d be here all night, only because I hadn’t thought on it until I was here. If you’re leaning towards it, just starting to think about it, or not even realizing it was an option for you, STUDY ABROAD. I really don’t think you can do wrong by taking a chance and seeing the world while learning new things all at the same time.