An American Abroad

Taking the leap to study abroad can be scary, whether it is just a semester or a few years. As an American, we are not often pushed to travel outside of the United States. From the Grand Canyon to the Appalachian Mountains, there is a wide variety of geography, cultures, and dialects that one could spend their entire life exploring. It is easy to forget that an entire world exists outside of our borders.

Once you look into studying abroad, the sheer amount of information to comb through can be incredibly overwhelming and difficult to process. This article will consider general pros and cons of studying abroad with the hope that it will help make your decision easier.

Pros

Opening Professional Doors

• The most obvious benefit of studying abroad is the number of professional doors it opens. You will make a lot of connections with professors, tutors, and course mates that can be beneficial in the future.
• Make sure to connect with them on some kind of social media like LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook so you can keep in contact with them. You never know when an opportunity may arise that they could recommend to you.

Making Friends

• If you are an international student at a university, odds are you will quickly meet and connect with other international students. This is exactly the environment to get to know others by asking questions about where they are from. Comparing cultures and traditions is a great way to bond with people from all over the world – they are probably just as curious about your background as you are about theirs!
• Friendships like these can make the transition process much easier and can be really rewarding, long-term relationships. Don’t worry if you’re not making good friends right away – it can take months to become comfortable and relaxed in your new environment.

New Experiences

• Outside of academia, studying abroad means taking advantage of your location! Taking short trips to nearby cities or countries is easy and highly recommended, especially with other international students. Flights are cheap, and there is so much to see nearby. Of course, it is important to focus on your academics, but it is easy to take advantage of weekends or semester breaks.
• The country you are in will have its own holidays and celebrations. Attending these events is a great way to experience the country’s culture and to make more friends along the way!

Cons

Distance from Loved Ones

• One of the most difficult aspects of living abroad is the distance from family and friends. Often, you will be in a different time zone, depending on where you are. It requires more effort to stay in contact with them. For example, I live in a time zone that is 5 hours ahead of all of my family, which means that we generally plan to call or video chat at the end of my day to avoid interrupting their workday.
• The hardest part is no longer being in the day-to-day lives of your loved ones. You will inevitably miss out on aspects of life such as family dinners, game nights, birthdays, or even holidays. Traveling home is always an option, but it can be quite expensive. If attending these events is important to you, make sure to plan out the details of these occasions well in advance to get the best financial deal.

New Life or Old?

• Studying abroad necessitates living like a local. You’ll have to learn the local transportation system, find the best place to get your groceries, and adapt to the local culture. Maybe you’ll get a part time job and pick up on the intricacies of the language.
• Exploring the city or country can help with the transition process, but after a few months, you begin to develop your own habits and routines that work for you. This life can be comfortable and intoxicating, yet unrecognizable to the life you lived in the States.
• If you are only studying abroad for a few months, this may not apply to you. However, if you are living abroad for at least a year, this change will most likely occur unknowingly. While visiting home for the first time, it can be difficult to come to terms with feeling out of place in your old lifestyle at first. It is perfectly normal to struggle a bit with feeling like you don’t belong, but don’t let it dissuade you.

Cultural Differences

• Although separate regions of the US have different traditions, there is not a large variation in the fundamental culture of the country. The US is one of the central hubs of the West, which means that we have internalized the cultural values and outlook that results from consistent access to Western technology. This is not necessarily a negative thing. However, it is something to keep in mind when traveling abroad as you will meet others who are from areas of the world with different cultural values than you.
• It can be uncomfortable at first when you find yourself in an environment where the other people have backgrounds unique to yours. There might be a language barrier, so jokes will not come across the same. You may not have many similarities, so it can be hard to bond.
• Keeping an open mind to other perspectives and experiences is not only key to making friends internationally, but it is part of your education. Remember, you are not studying abroad just for the content knowledge of the university you attend, you are also learning about the people, politics, cultures, and languages of the world.

There is so much more to say, but these are some of the main points to reflect on when considering studying abroad from the US. It is a big decision, but remember that you can change your mind. You can always go home if you decide it is not for you. Worst case scenario, you have a great story to tell! Best case scenario…well…you’ll just have to create that story for yourself!