How many times have you heard the phrase “study abroad” throughout your college career? My guess is a significant amount.  Allow me to be Captain Obvious and say that there is a reason.

Fall of 2013 I traveled to London and studied at the University of Westminster.  Spending a semester abroad was a life changing experience. Living in a completely new place guaranteed me with the opportunity to gain a new perspective.

Here are  five reasons why you need to make a semester abroad happen.       

1. Change of scenery.  After two years in college, I was ready to switch things up. Don’t get me wrong, I love DePauw, but I wanted to get outside the bubble. It is safe to say that traveling across the pond solved my stir-crazy concerns.  When I finished my semester abroad, I came back to DePauw refreshed and pumped. Being reunited with friends and a comfortable routine felt great.  Important to note -- I would not appreciate DePauw as much as I do now if I did not have the semester off campus.      

2. Learn about a different culture. Sorry to break the news, but you are not going to fully embrace a culture unless you dive into it head first. Culture cannot be learned through The Amazing Race or a foreign magazine. I learned about British culture through taking the tube, walking 20 minutes to class, strolling through parks, getting lost in London, trying new food, talking to locals, going to different pubs and a whole lot more.       

3. Opportunity to travel. While abroad, you have access to amazing traveling opportunities.  Across the pond, the cost of traveling is a lot less than you may think. For example, from London I was able to take the tube to Paris and be there within three hours. Pretty unbelievable.  Safe to say that a Paris weekend getaway tops an Indianapolis getaway from DePauw.    

4. New friends. Not only do you get to meet a new culture abroad, but also new friends!  From your program, classes or dorm, you have the chance to build life long friends. I continue to keep in contact with the friends I met abroad and love to reminisce.      

5. Learn about yourself. Studying abroad is not magical 100 percent of the time. There are challenging moments: financial stress, homesickness, language barriers or loneliness. However, what I learned from studying abroad is the rewards in pushing through the stressful times. When I look back on my time in London, I do not think about the moments of hardship, but rather what the highs and lows taught me. I gained a new perspective on life and myself that is now what makes me unique.      

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.” Alan Alda