In college, I was an Environmental Engineering major, meaning my schedule was jam-packed with courses I was required to take. No, I wasn’t allowed to swap out Thermodynamics for another, much more appealing course (bummer, right?!). My classes were laid out semester by semester, specifically to ensure all the prerequisites were fulfilled. Of course, this was beneficial to my learning, but it also meant that studying abroad during a semester was very difficult. There are just not that many foreign universities out there that carry all the courses I would need to take if I were to leave Vermont for 4 months. There’s always the option to take an extra semester or year to graduate, but we all know that is not financially feasible, and who really wants to be in school for longer anyways?

This predicament is not unique to engineering either- many students in other STEM fields, in the nursing or medical fields, or in any highly structured major may encounter the same issues. And because everyone and their sister is telling us that they regretted not studying abroad, or that you should absolutely study abroad, you feel as though you are missing out on an incredible experience.

I felt this same way as I entered winter break during my junior year of college. I had always figured that studying abroad was just not for me, but during those couple weeks, I decided that searching to see what was out there wasn’t going to hurt. Yes, this was quite a bit late for me to be pursuing any sort of study abroad opportunity. However, I have become a believer in the cliché that it really is “never too late”, because within a short time I had found the perfect study abroad opportunity- during the summer!

I ended up studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for seven weeks and took two courses while I was there: Climate Change and Glacier Modeling, and Bicycle Urbanism. I traveled to Iceland, Amsterdam and, Netherlands during those courses, and spent a large part of my time outside, exploring Copenhagen. Yes, as you can imagine, it was incredible.

Studying abroad during the summer is great because it leaves you with very little pressure, especially if you are in a structured major. For me, the courses I took counted for credits that I could use my senior year, and so I had a low credit load those final two semesters. However, if I had chosen other courses that didn’t help me out, I would’ve still been able to have a blast while abroad, and would’ve just dealt with a regular course load when I returned. This gives you the freedom to find the program and location that suits you the best, and to determine what you would rather prioritize (location and fun, or practicality and relevance of the courses). Or you find a balance between the two, like I did!

Now, you may be thinking, “well yes, but if I study abroad during the summer, I will not be able to get an internship or other work experience”. This is true, there are sacrifices you must make if you study abroad during the summer. However, I have found in my job searching that employers are pleased to see I have a study abroad experience on my resume. If missing out on an internship is a main concern of yours, a solution is to prioritize a program that fits well with your major and your career interests. There are also programs that allow you to intern while abroad.

So yes, I am now another one of those people who is telling you that you should study abroad. I believe the experience of studying abroad is much different than anything you may encounter the rest of your time in college. However, here’s where I offer a new perspective: the former is true no matter whether you are gone for an entire semester, for the summer, or even for just a few weeks during winter break. Most colleges understand this, and I would be surprised if you could not find an opportunity out there that fits with your constraints.

Go ahead and take a chance, do some searching, and if you find something intriguing, go for it!