Why You Should Study Abroad for Your Minor

Written by Sarah Angley

 People always say you minor in what you love and you major in what you're good at. For me, this is somewhat true. I do love my major, Public Relations and Strategic Communication, and I am excited for a career in this field. I do also love my minor, Classical Studies. I am involved in this minor only because I love the classes, but I have never considered a career in this field.

When I heard about a study abroad trip to Greece through Classical Studies, I absolutely had to go. Greece was my top choice for European countries to visit, because I love the culture and history, and of course it looks beautiful. The trip would be a week long, over spring break, and we would be traveling the entire time. I immediately signed up. 

While in Greece, I earned three credits which count toward my minor, my liberal arts core curriculum, and my university core curriculum. We traveled to seven different cities in six days and visited quite a few ancient archaeological sites. The entire trip consisted of visiting these sites with a professor, who gave us a tour of the site and told us the history and back story. It was fascinating to be able to see in person the ancient places I had been learning about in my classes.   

 

So why should you study abroad for your minor? As I previously stated, usually your minor is something that you are truly passionate about. A lot of times you chose to take a minor because you enjoy it and you enjoy the classes. Study abroad should be an enjoyable experience. For me, being able to travel and learn about something that I was so genuinely interested in made the experience that much better.  

There was also less stress to do well in the class and on the assignments, because not passing wasn’t going to cause me to fall behind in my major or prevent me from graduating. I didn’t have any trouble doing well on the assignments, however, because they were assignments that I was interested in completing. The experience allowed me to get ahead in my studies, while also offering the opportunity of a lifetime.