In life, we expect to learn everything in the classroom but I think it is possible that we learn even more through experiences that we have outside of the classroom. Yes, we can learn the material from class but it is also the character of the person that contributes even more to learning.

It is the work, perseverance, and will of the students that allow the material to be understood to the best of their ability and most of the time will show through in the grades received. In doing little things like this we learn things about ourselves that cannot be discovered in a classroom setting. Outside of the classroom, when we are working we discover the ways that work best for us when studying and what we like and don’t like in terms of classes and where we want to go in life. The classes help us discover where we want to go in life but it is also how we deal with situations that tells a lot about the kind of people we are. We face difficulties and push through those to get past the hard times and on to the good. These developments as people are some of the most important and are not represented in any grade that we receive.

It is outside the classroom, where we discover who are true friends are both old and new. We meet new people all the time and it’s amazing how a study buddy can quickly turn into one of your closest friends. We learn who is there for us for the good and bad times. Those who we share amazing experiences with and not just telling them about it.

Sure, it is important to learn but more often than not when looking back at college the classes and material learned in the classroom aren’t going to be what you remember. You’ll remember that time your RA took you and those in your hall to get ice cream from The Purple Door. You’ll remember going through recruitment and finding your home in a sorority or fraternity. You’ll remember the traveling you’ve done and the amazing people you’ve met and the experiences you’ve shared with them.

Especially after studying abroad, I can honestly say that the best things in college happen outside the classroom. While I did still take classes, I did a lot of traveling and in doing so I learned more than I ever thought possible. People consider it the semester that people blow off, and in some ways, that’s true but in others, it isn’t.

I feel like I learned more about the world and myself in this semester abroad than I had in any previous semester where it was heavy on classes and work. When traveling, you are able to experience a new culture and learn the history of the place not by reading out of a textbook but by experiencing it and being to see it live and in action. It also gives you a perspective that you can’t get from just reading it, they are two completely different things.

For instance, when I went to Poland I visited Auschwitz. I knew prior to it that it was one of the larger concentration camps that was used by the Nazi’s but actually being at the camp gave me a completely different perspective on the situation; one that couldn’t have been taught in a classroom. When I went to Rome and saw the colosseum, it sets in just how large it is and the architecture of it allows the function of the building to make more sense. The most memorable and better things in life occur outside the classroom, we just have to have the courage to open our eyes to new experiences and be willing to try new things.