As many students have been told, the chance to study abroad during your collegiate years is an experience that one should never miss out on. This is a time for each student to step out of their comfort zone, learn the value of independence and explore the world while still gaining college credits. However, there are a handful of students who cannot study abroad for a whole semester for his or her own perspective reasoning, which is why I highly recommend for them to partake in a week or two week long program if their school offers it.

1. FOMO and Homesickness are kept at a minimum

As a college student, I have learned that the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is an extremely serious issue. And, while studying abroad during the fall and spring semester, students miss sporting events, tailgating, sorority/fraternity outings and other activities that we enjoy as college students, which for me means that FOMO would be my biggest nightmare. However, choosing the alternative abroad opportunities, students like you and I get the best of it's worlds because we are still able to experience our abroad adventures during a break and reap the benefits of enjoying the various events on our campuses. Along with FOMO comes homesickness. For me, when I see what others are doing while I am away, it makes me want to be there more (even if I am experiencing another culture across the world). With the shorter programs, you are gone for a shorter amount of time, which means you miss out on less and they usually have them during breaks so you are not missing out on any school related activities.

2. Urges you to travel more

Although the amount of time is limited and the activities that are planned take up a lot of your day, I have found it has made me want to travel the world so much more on my own. There is so much to see that the time span that the trip has scheduled makes it impossible to make your way to see it, but as frustrating as that sounds, it is also nice because you can add it to your bucket list and come back another time to experience it. These short trips are also nice because you get a brief look at the culture of the area you are spending your time and so the next time you come back, the more you understand why things are done in that manner.

3. Get to know the faculty better without taking a big load of classes.

While I am sure many programs have a certain amount of requirements for it to count as credit, typically the class load is a lot less than the semester long classes. We do not have a to take graded exams or do a huge term project or paper (depending on your program though). This also opens up a major opportunity to get to know the faculty better because they travel with you throughout the trip. This opens up a great opportunity to gain more connections and advice from those who work at the university. Not to mention the connections you are able to make through the other programs that parallel to your specific university.

Study abroad should be an opportunity experienced by every college student, regardless of major, year or travel experience. So the next time you are wander lust but do not want to miss a semester away, think about the shorter abroad programs. Trust me, they bring a lot more to the table than you would aspect.