Go Somewhere

By: Janna Parke

Growing up I traveled the world. My family lived in England, traveled through Europe, Mexico, Belize, the Bahamas, and all around the United States. The love of traveling and seeing the world has been instilled into my life from a young age, which is why I want to study abroad.

Studying abroad can be a scary thought, at least for me! Don’t get me wrong, I am just as adventurous as the next person, but when it comes to leaving the things you know and love most and creating a new journey alone, it can be an intimidating thought. When telling people that I plan to study in Sydney, Australia in the spring semester, they all seem impressed and are very encouraging. Studying abroad won’t only lead me to new experiences and trials, but it will also teach me about my skills, passions, my future, and myself.

Not only will this experience benefit my personal life, but also my professional life. There are endless reasons to go abroad, and I know that they outweigh the less positive aspects.

1.     Well -rounded

As I touched on before, studying abroad shows employers, friends, and family that you desire to be a well-rounded person. This opportunity requires maturity, responsibility, and openness. These qualities are desirable in a person for any job on the market. Showing that you are able to go into a new situation with an open mind and eagerness to experience a new culture is something that helps you to create a well-rounded college experience.

2.     New Perspective

Studying abroad provides new perspective on education, relationships, culture, and more. By taking classes in a new environment, students are able to see learning from a new view. The relationships formed between your friends, professors, roommates, and others abroad will be different than those you form while at Purdue. The interactions through a new community should open new doors and push your own ideas to a new level.

3.     Personal Growth

Studying abroad is a challenge. I can’t imagine packing everything up, getting on a plane alone, and finding my way around Australia. I am nervous thinking about it! Students who study abroad come back with a new sense of confidence in their skills and a sense of responsibility that cannot be gained while feeling safe and sound at home. Stretching to your limits is the only way to grow and learn about what you can handle. This responsibility and confidence is vital to careers these days. A worker that is responsible and confident in their abilities is a worker who is more likely to be hired.

4.     Career Skills

The skills that make a student marketable are found through studying abroad. Students can gain critical thinking and problem solving, confidence, teamwork, communication, leadership, flexibility, adaptability, creativity, a worldview, and new perspective. All of these skills tie over to any future career. For communication, I can see myself learning a lot about interacting with others in various situations and applying them to my classes I have taken here at Purdue. “On average, about 23 percent of 2011 college graduates studied abroad at some point, based on data reported by 339 ranked schools in an annual survey by U.S. News. The participation rate was less than 1 percent at a handful of those schools.” This low number gives students the opportunity to be set apart from the rest of the bunch in the resume process.

After reading these points I hope you have a fire in your soul to travel! I understand the factors of time and money, but scholarships, rescheduling, and a little extra planning can help to make this a possible dream. I am about to submit my application to study at the University of Sydney, and I couldn’t be more excited!

For more information about Purdue’s study abroad programs, you can visit their website.

Some information and key points were found on these websites:

http://www.vistawide.com/studyabroad/why_study_abroad.htm

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/02/26/10-colleges-where-the-most-students-study-abroad