With all my fellow Odyssey co-writers publishing articles about studying abroad in foreign countries I thought I'd put my two cents into the subject. With IQP decisions being released a couple of weeks ago, I learned that I was going to be able to do my off campus first choice! No, not Melbourne, not even London, I'm doing mine at the Massachusetts Water Resource Outreach Center right here in Central Mass.
However, while I'm extremely excited to do this, it was something hard to fathom by some of my classmates. Why wouldn't I take the opportunity to go somewhere outside the US? Why wouldn't I want to get away from gross Worcester for a term? Why would you make this location your top choice? Well, there's a lot to it.
I didn't think the Massachusetts Water Resource Center would be my top choice, almost like how I thought back in high school that WPI wasn't my top choice school. I went to easily a dozen of the required information sessions for the IQP locations and this is where I found my answer. In all honesty, my top choices were either Washington DC, London, maybe even Australia. But then I saw what these IQP projects were. It wasn't what I wanted to do at all plus the cost was a little bit more than daunting. With few scholarship opportunities at all, it didn't seem feasible to pay $7,000 for a term doing a project I knew I wasn't going to be interested in.
Then I went to the Worcester, MA information session and everything become clearer. By doing IQP in Worcester, MA, I would be given an opportunity to make a change I would see first hand. I won't need to leave Worcester after seven weeks during the B Term of 2016. Through the Massachusetts Water Resource Center I get to work in water treatment which I find extremely interesting while getting a term off campus to enjoy other areas of Central Massachusetts and making a difference. I also get to obtain professional group experience while also getting to enjoy the beautiful ID 2050 ( and saving a few bucks too!).
So while all my classmates are getting excited to go all over the world, I'm perfectly fine staying right here as I gain the same experience in a way that's more comfortable for me. I'll get the chance to travel where I want in the world once I graduate and am done paying all the loans just from the regular costs of college. And believe me, I couldn't be happier.
