When else in your life can you simply pack a bag and spend several months in a foreign country? After college and presumably until retirement, there will always be jobs, family, kids, and other responsibilities which won't allow you to just "drop everything" and go explore. College is the best time to see the world for several reasons.
For starters, going abroad is often cheaper than regular tuition (depending in where you go to school), therefore there is no worry about funding your trip. Most colleges and universities already have a list of programs to various countries, so there is no worrying about planning, transportation, or meeting people. Sometimes there is even no language requirement if you choose to take a semester or year at an American university location overseas.
That being said, it is also a great opportunity to learn a new language. Immersion is key, and most foreigners would excuse a student for only starting out with a basic phrases in the native tongue.
Overall, just being a young person in an unfamiliar country is an enriching experience. Whether it be the nightclubs in Spain, hiking and skiing in the Andes, or seeking out an internship in Paris, the opportunities are endless if you are eighteen and older.
Although it may sound cliche, studying abroad is extremely different than what you might experience on a vacation. You will not be simply taking pictures and walking briefly from place to place, you'll be living there, and you will become part of the culture instead of just observing it.
Instead of superficially skimming the surface of a culture, you'll become fully immersed and without realizing it, you will start to feel more like a local and less like a tourist. While seeing monuments and taking tours is still academically enriching, the real learning happens when you learn to talk to the locals, and settle into a daily routine there. Moreover, studying abroad in college will make you a more dynamic, accepting adult who can work and communicate in a diverse environment.
The ability to be aware and accepting of people from different cultures will an indispensable asset that you can hold proudly for the rest of your life.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
