WHY STUDY ABROAD?

It is no secret that studying abroad can, and often does, become the most enriching and unforgettable experience one can have in college. Many say it helped shape them and enriched their understanding of the world. When studying abroad, you fully immerse yourself into a new culture that is often very different from your own. You also find you have to rely on yourself and that you have to stretch your wings a little further than you had to back home, and this helps you learn how to adapt. Studying abroad pushes you out of your comfort zone, but there you learn tolerance, independence, and an appreciation for others.

Learn from one of our partners, AIFS, how to leverage study abroad into career development opportunities!

 TOP 10 REASONS TO STUDY ABROAD

1. Learn about yourself through a new lens and gain an appreciation for your own culture and home.

2. Take fun and interesting classes abroad that your home university can't offer on its campus. You can even learn a language or new skillset.

3. Experience and learn history where it occurred! The world is your classroom!

4. Increase your adaptability, creative problem-solving skills, and critical thinking. You will become more independent and realize how capable you are.

5. Do some soul searching. You will be alone with time to think and re-evaluate. You may realize your values changing or feel yourself growing and stretching in different ways you didn't even think were possible.

6. Advance your career path by developing your resume and showing that you are comfortable working in culturally diverse environments and comfortable overcoming adversity. Employers value these skillsets!

7. Expand your network. You'll meet so many new people from all over the world.

8. Live like a local rather than visit like a tourist.

9. Explore! There is a great big world out there, experience what it has to offer!

10. You will view the world from a new perspective. The way you perceived the world growing up in the United States, specifically in your hometown, is most likely, not the same way that others view the world. You'll realize that previously what you thought might be right vs. wrong, might actually just be different.