Stonehill Learning Communities -- you either love 'em or you hate 'em. Some students with certain majors find it hard to pick a class that will fit with their strict schedule while other students are excited by the opportunity to choose classes out of their comfort zone.

Going into sophomore year, I couldn't wait to sign up for an LC. The past options I heard about seemed so interesting and unique and I hoped there would be the same opportunities come my second year at the Hill.

When registration rolled around my heart skipped a beat seeing a course titled "From Farm to Studio: The Origins of Resources." Not only did the classes combine two subjects of great interest to me -- art and sustainable agriculture -- they culminated with a week-long trip to Italy. Was it coincidence or fate that I had just finished seven years of studying Italian?

I am forever grateful for Professor Lanci, my advisor at the time, who encouraged me to take this LC despite it fulfilling absolutely no other requirements toward my major or cornerstones. He said the light in my eyes was so bright talking about this course and I would be silly not to.

Well, he was right.

Because if I had missed out on all these opportunities I would have never discovered a new group of friends, connected with two professors, or tried the Tuscan delicacy that is wild boar.

Every Stonehill student should take a travel LC if given the chance.

The bonds you make will last forever.

The group of students I went with have become some of my closest friends on campus. Stonehill is highly praised for its sense of community, and this is embodied in the LC program. My class grew closer as the semester went on, grabbing dinner after classes, planning packing lists and discussing travel plans. When it came time to go to Italy, there was no other group I would've rather went with. Back on campus now for our spring semester, we are still snapchatting each other inside jokes, catching up over lunch and reminiscing on our adventure. Moreover, I remain in touch with my LC professors and have even taken up a directed study with one of my instructors.

You get to experience so much in such a short period of time.

Everyone who knew about my Italy trip pitied me for only having one week under the Tuscan sun. There is no way you'll be able to see everything, they said. And they were right. There's no way to see all of Italy in a week, but that's not the point. My LC allowed me to delve into a regional culture in a way I never would have if I was merely visiting on a vacation. I learned about Tuscan food, Florentine history and the traditions of Siena. I spent my days on a farm essentially in the middle of nowhere. And it was awesome. No matter where your LC takes you -- Florida, Italy, Cuba, Germany, Austria, Washington -- you are going to experience that place in a way that is so unlike any other conventional trip.

It is the perfect solution for not going abroad.

A large number of Stonehill students go abroad -- nearly half. But sometimes, that just doesn't work out. Whether it be athletics, finances, or personal circumstances that get in the way of going abroad, taking a travel LC can make up for it. You can get a taste of a whole new world without making a huge time and money commitment that a semester entails. It can even help you realize if going abroad is something you would be interested in.

You don't have to wait until your upperclassman years to experience something foreign.

Some colleges don't present their underclassmen with opportunities like travel. The thing I love about Stonehill is it throws a whole world of opportunity with you, basically saying, "Ready whenever you are!" I never thought that as a sophomore I would have the chance to take a course like this. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity.

Whether you do it for the travel, the courses, the connections, or the memories, just go for it. Signing up for a travel LC was one of the best decision I have made as a Skyhawk and I wish I could do it all over again (minus the eight hour plane ride).