Studying abroad had always been a dream of mine ever since I was 7 or 8 years old. It all started when my mom studied abroad way back in her high school good ole days. She went with her french and spanish club to Mexico, London, Paris and so on. She would always tell me stories from when she went and I would always look at the scrapbooks she made of her trips. Then my sister studied abroad while she was in college. I loved looking at the pictures she sent us from her trip. That's when I learned a little more about studying abroad and what it entailed. But from a young age I knew I wanted to study abroad and travel all around the world no matter what it took to do so.
Fast forward 10 years (wow I just realized how old I am) into my freshman year of college. Everything was a new experience and I had so much freedom that I didn't know what to do first. I did know that I wanted to study abroad sometime in my college career. Now I know everyone remembers that 100 Transition course that was a Pass/Fail only and we all thought was a waste of time. It really was until one day, the Murray State Study Abroad office came and gave a presentation during my class and that is when the light bulb went off in my head saying, THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR. After that class you best bet I went back into my dorm room and spent hours looking up programs that I might be interested in. Murray State has an amazing assortment of programs that any student can choose from. They have semester long ones or even just a week long. After searching until my eyes hurt from staring at a computer screen I found the one I was looking for, "London Spring Break 2016." Now, some people that I talked too said that I should wait until my sophomore year. Did I listen? Heck no I sure didn't. YOU can study abroad whenever YOU want. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to wait or that you can't in general.
Like I said, "London Spring Break 2016" was the program that I was looking for and that I wanted. As cheesy as it sounds I always wanted to go to London because of my mom. This trip was the answer to my study abroad dreams. Now for this trip I went with my Civ 202 class, which is a general elective! So you don't have to pick something in your major or minor. It can simply be a class you need to graduate for the university. So with my class we literally went and saw every historical museum, monument and building in London I feel like. Everything was absolutely beautiful. I have so many memories from London with my classmates and my professor. I won't go crazy with details but some include, getting lost on the Tube System, eating bizarre foods, and interesting shoe wear of British people.
This article isn't just about my study abroad experience or a step by step of how to apply to study abroad. It's about me convincing you to consider studying abroad during your college career because it'll open your eyes to new cultural experiences and you get to see history in action. The things you've learned about all your life or just in a class. Studying abroad really did change my life in an amazing way that's pretty indescribable. Even if you don't think you can afford it or don't think they would have a place that you would like to travel too, THEY DO. Murray State offers so many scholarship opportunities through their scholarship application program. Don't sell yourself short of an amazing opportunity given to you by your college or university. Just take my word for it and do some research. You'll thank me later. Trust me. Pictures speak a thousand words, but memories last a lifetime.
