via usnews.com
There are seven continents, 195 countries, and over 7 billion people in the world today yet, most people will never experience anything other than the place and the people they have always been surrounded by. College students are offered endless opportunities in school that they don’t even know about. Even though a majority of colleges offer study abroad programs, less than 10% of undergraduate students actually study abroad. If you are a college student, or if you just want a new experience, I hope this list of five reasons to study abroad will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and take a chance on the world.
1.) To learn a language: It is becoming increasingly important to know more than one language in this day and age. Go to a place where the people speak the language you’ve been studying in school. Now when you put “fluent in French” on your resume, it will be completely true and you can impress the interviewer with your language skills. Overall, you’ll have a better chance at landing the job.
2.) To take pretty pictures: There are some beautiful places out there and some breathtaking sites. If you go for nothing else, go for the scenery. When you return you can impress all of your friends with the pictures you took of the different sightings that you would never see in your hometown.
3.) It can be very affordable: Most schools allow you to turn your scholarship money into cash value that you can use for your trip. Therefore, if you’re on scholarship, you really have no excuse. Even if you don’t have a scholarship, there are some less expensive places to travel to including the Dominican Republic or Canada which you can pay for by applying to outside scholarships.
4.) For the culture: There’s just so much culture out there. Whether you want to explore your own history or go and explore an entirely new and different culture, learning about how other people live and view the world automatically expands your own worldview.
5.) To meet new people: Like I mentioned earlier, there are over seven billion people who inhabit this earth. There is a good chance that your potential best friend or soul mate may be living across the world. Plus, meeting people who grew up in completely different environments also helps to expand your worldview and can help you grow as a person.
There you have it, five out of many, many reasons to travel the world. So, if you’re thinking of taking that leap of faith and experiencing the world, DO IT! Carpe Diem!
