Studying Abroad – Don’t Let The Opportunity Get Away
There’s no doubt that some college students graduate with a lot of regrets. Some say they are guilty about recklessness that might have involved to much cheap beer among other things. However, there is one that is exceedingly common that you might not expect. Many alums regret never studying abroad. Seeing other places and meeting other people is so valuable. Pushing your boundaries – including your physical, geographic, and social boundaries – is part of becoming a well-rounded person. Talking to someone from another country online is easy, but there’s nothing like actually traveling there. Studying abroad is a great way to do this. You will need a passport if you are considering going, but you can get one online. You can even get your first time passport online.
It’s almost ridiculous how easy it is to get your passport online. The passport sites you will find online generally specialize in expedited passport service, which means that you pick the delivery date for your passport instead of having to wait for months upon months for your passport to reach you. This is very handy if you signed up last minute for a program.
There really is no end to the benefits of studying abroad, including some very practical ones. For instance, traveling to another country is one of the top ways to learn another language. It’s easy to imagine: think how you learned English. You were surrounded by it, and you picked it up. This is how it works in other countries too. What better place to learn Italian than in Florence, Italy?
College is a great time to go abroad because the programs are already laid out for you as a student, and you travel with people who have similar interests. Tourist groups that go abroad herd tourists like sheep towards the generic tourist attractions. College groups are different. They are there to learn and soak in the culture. They are there to experience the reality of a different country.
On the most basic level, travel is just fun. While travel is possible within the United States, but it’s a different experience entirely to go to a completely different country or continent. It’s amazing how many different cultures and people and places there are, and many of these different cultures and places are located very near to each other, meaning you can see all sorts of places for the price of one. If you were to study abroad in Germany, you might go on excursions to Paris one weekend and then on to Brussels the next. Plus, just breaking free from your daily routine and surroundings is a huge benefit. Imagine doing your homework in a cafe in Paris.