10 Reasons to Study Abroad
By Jordyn Gaurkee, UW-Green Bay Junior Democracy and Justice major with an emphasis in Legal Studies
Jordyn studied abroad in Glasgow, Scotland and currently interns in the Office of International Education. Read her 10 reasons to study abroad:
1.) You will learn to budget. Living in a new country is not cheap, by any means. You will start to decide if that cup of coffee is really worth it or if spending money on a taxi is better than walking 30 minutes back to your flat.
2.) You will learn to appreciate the smaller things in life. When yo study abroad, you can only take so many suitcases. This means that you will have less than the average student will. Therefore, you will have to decide what is worth bringing and what is not. Just know that it makes you appreciate the little things that you took for granted before you left.
3.) You will come back with a bigger appreciation for your family, friends and hometown. Before I left, I thought that I was very independent. I did not rely on my family. However, by the end of my 5 months living abroad I was missing my family, friends, UWGB and of course my dog.
4.) You will be able to see the world and travel to places that you’ve only ever dreamed of. Start by exploring the country that you are liviving in. Get to know the culture and visit significant places within the country. Then travel wherever your heart desires. When you are in Europe, from my personal experience, I found that traveling from country to country is so much easier and cheaper than traveling from the United States to Europe. I was fortunate enough to go to 11 different countries while I was abroad.
5.) It will look great on resumes. Nowadays employers want someone who knows how to adapt and has had life experiences that others have not. Studying abroad and living in a different country for a semester or even a year shows that you are able to adapt to new cultures and experiences.
6.) You will meet so many people and some of the greatest friends of your life. I am usually a shy person so this was something that I was worried would not happen to me. I did not think I would make any friends and thought I would spend these five months alone. Nevertheless, I have met people from all over the world. These places include China, Germany, Greece, Canada, Italy, Australia and so many more. I even met someone from Wisconsin, and we ended up talking about Wisconsin greats like Culver’s cheese curds and the Green Bay Packers.
7.) You will be more confident in yourself. I would have never imagined riding the subway alone, sparking up conversations with complete strangers or even speaking up in my seminars at university. However, I learned fast that doing those things we necessary to make the most of my time. And five months later, the things that gave me so much anxiety are actually things I can do easily now. I enjoy having small talk with strangers, I take the subway alone and I like giving my opinion in classes.
8.) You will be able to try new things, and it is not as scary as you think. Unless it is Irn Bru or haggis. I tried both, did not necessarily like either.
9.) You will find out that you are much braver than you thought. You are living in a new country, with new people and a new culture. Your family and friends are thousands of miles away. There is a time difference. You cannot just go home if you are feeling down, and you might not always be able to reach your family or friends on the phone. If that is not brave than I don’t know what is.
10.) Finally, traveling and living abroad teaches you that you can do anything you put your mind to. It teaches you that you are capable of doing great things. It shows you that you are enough but inspires you to be so much more.
