By Haiden Widener, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
When you are shipped off to a foreign country alone, it forces you into a different mindset. It makes you constantly aware of your surroundings and forces you to figure things out alone.
I studied in England for almost six months as the only Berry student in my program. It made me get out of my comfort zone, but by the end I was more confident than ever and it completely changed my mindset on many things. I am much more mature now than I was when my plane took off in January. While traveling around Europe I saw and experienced so many things that you don’t get the chance to see in the U.S. This made me think differently and see things from new perspectives. Study abroad is an experience that is incomparable to any other, and I encourage everyone to go and have their own experience.
Many people want to travel around the world, but most don’t because they are scared or don’t have the money. If you can work with the International Programs office to find grants and scholarships, the only obstacle left is fear. Once you cross that obstacle, there are many great benefits of studying abroad.
At four-year institutions, students who studied abroad are 15 percent more likely to graduate than students who chose not to, according to a study in 2014 by University of California, San Diego. This study also found a positive correlation between studying abroad and rise in GPA.
“Student GPAs tend to rise as students approach the completion of their undergraduate degree,” they said. “[But] students who studied abroad saw their GPAs rise twice as quickly.”
There are many post-graduate benefits to studying abroad as well. Studies conducted in 2015 show that employees desire study-abroad students across the country because they demonstrate global curiosity, well-roundedness and a willingness to live outside of the US. The University of California, Merced found that “97 percent of study-abroad students found employment within 12 months of graduation, when only 49 percent of college graduates found employment in the same period.” This means that study-abroad students were twice as likely to find a job. Not only are they more likely to get hired, they are likely to be paid more as well. The same study found that study-abroad students earned 17 percent more than their peers.
While these statistics have a lot to do with academics and work experience, there are also personal development benefits to studying abroad. It is proven to boost students’ emotional development and self-confidence, as well as increase maturity levels and openness, according to multiple studies done by Psych Central.
“It teaches students to appreciate difference and diversity firsthand,” said Stacie Berdan, a contributor for The New York Times. I can personally attest to these statements through my study abroad experience.
Berry provides many scholarships, and during the semester programs, your financial aid transfers abroad. My study abroad tuition, room and board was cheaper than a semester at Berry. Although you do need a lot of spending money, as long as you are prepared for study abroad and save up money, it is doable, and the experience is more than worth the expenses.
Study abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity. When else will you be able to spend a whole month, or six in my case, exploring a different part of the world? After college comes a full-time job and more responsibilities such as bills, marriage and kids. So do it now. It will not only change your life, but prepare you for the future as well. And after all, according to former British journalist, Jo Andrews, “it’s a big world out there. It would be a shame not to experience it.”