College campuses all over the country and the world promote and talk about study abroad programs. We all have friends, family or distant people we know who have been abroad. Yet, there are still some who are hesitant to pull the trigger and book the flight. So I'm here to explain to you why everyone should go abroad.
First of all, you need to get out of your comfort zone. It's of vital importance that you constantly make yourself uncomfortable. It is only when you become uncomfortable that you are forced to find yourself. You should never live in a state of complacency, and packing up and moving to another country will most definitely get you out of your comfort zone.
Becoming cultured is important. You cannot go through your life being ignorant and not knowing about the world and its history. Going abroad and traveling opens your eyes to so many cultures apart from your own. It teaches you respect for others like you have never known before. You will meet your best friends. The people you choose to travel with will become long time friends in a matter of months. Whether you come alone or with a group, it's the friends you meet abroad that will influence and change your life.
You need to learn to travel. Traveling is amazing; you can take a plane, train or automobile to a new place and see things you have never seen before. But traveling is also hard and sometimes the most stressful thing in the world. When you are abroad you learn how to travel without the help of your parents, and that is a skill that everyone should have.
You need to grow up. College is a time that is full of challenges and things that force you to grow up. Going abroad means that you will change and grow more in that one semester than you ever had in your entire life. And if you are scared to go then you definitely need to go.
You need to be free and have fun. Yes, you should always be careful when in a foreign country (and all the time) but the most fun times I've had have been abroad. I learned to let go and be silly and just have a good time. I learned that you don't have to take yourself so seriously. You will never be this young and have an opportunity to hop around the world like you do when you study abroad.
Studying abroad has been the single most rewarding thing that I have ever done. It has challenged me in ways I never thought possible. I have become a cultured adult who is no longer scared of the world. And I think that it is something everyone should experience, whether you go for a month, a semester or a year, it is worth it. Immerse yourself in a different culture and soak it all up.
So, the moral of the story is: go abroad or I promise you will be missing out.
