Five Reasons Why You Should (Not) Study Abroad

1. It will change the way you see the world

Being exposed to a new mode of thinking, both by your professors and your peers, will assuredly cause you to reshape your perspective of life. Academically, you will be challenged in exciting, and sometimes intimidating, ways. New areas of history, literature, science, and more will open up to you. Instructors might not share your foundational assumptions and will, therefore, question you in ways you are not used to. Get ready to be pushed beyond your comfort zone.

2. It will change the way you see yourself

Cliché, I know. But exposing yourself to new types of people with radically different backgrounds is quite likely to bring out new sides of yourself you have yet to discover. Even in another Anglophone country like England, life is different. You will come back with a new appreciation for who you are and what you stand for. Like yourself the way you are? Avoid studying abroad

3. It will release a torrent of previously undiscovered longings and desires 

This, I did not expect. I knew studying abroad would be challenging and that I would meet exciting people, but I never imagined I would ache for the immense beauty of the dreaming spires, the foggy streets on early morning walks, the majestic libraries filled with leather bound books, and the simple pleasure of watching the busy Oxford streets from a cozy coffee house. It feels a bit like a piece of my heart is still wandering the halls of the New College cloisters. If you enjoy contentedness, perhaps studying abroad is not for you.

4. You will be separated by hundreds of miles and time zone changes from your new friends.

Your friends do not live down the hall or across the city any more. Now, they are across the ocean, or, if you are lucky, a 15-hour car ride. This is one sad consequence of studying abroad.

5. You will undoubtedly annoy your friends and family for years to come

 For quite a while, I could not go through a conversation without reminiscing on my time abroad. (“Oh, you are going to the library? Let me tell you about the fantastical libraries in Oxford.” “Going to get coffee? Let me describe the six to-die-for coffee shops I passed from my flat to the library.” “You like Lord of the Rings? Let me tell you about my time at the Eagle & Child.”) Your friends and family will still love you, but it will take a while before you realize your recollection of the amazing conversation you had about Dostoyevsky is just not as much fun for them as it is for you.

Okay, maybe these are not great reasons to avoid studying abroad. In fact, they are probably some of the best reasons to study abroad. You will likely come back a little older, a little wiser, and hopefully a bit more cultured.