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Studying abroad becomes commonplace in higher education
Being a university student can be a challenging time in anyone’s life. While incredibly exciting, becoming a university student also means that there are quite literally years of challenges and trials ahead. You are bound to be on the receiving end of a seemingly-limitless abundance of advice during your time as a higher education student. Everyone wants to make the experience a little easier for you, and they would all like to think they have the best advice of the bunch. And a lot of them do have incredibly useful advice.
When it comes to knowing when and if to take certain opportunities while at university, sometimes the decision can weigh heavily on you. What, for instance, should you do if you see an opportunity to spend a semester overseas studying? Getting on a plane to somewhere entirely new is daunting, so what is the answer? The answer is yes, actively pursue abroad study, because at your graduation ceremony, and every day after that and well into your career, the best memories of university will be the ones where you stepped out of your comfort zone entirely, wholeheartedly embracing the unknown.
And what better way to embrace the unknown than to study abroad? But if you need further convincing, there are three core reasons why studying abroad is the best decision you will ever make as a university student.
Building a global network
When you study abroad, you inevitably meet all kinds of people. These individuals are often people that you would never otherwise have crossed paths with, were it not for your decision to study overseas. These days, the workforce is all about who you know, and having connections from all over the world is a fantastic way to establish yourself as a force to be reckoned with and respected in your industry. Abroad study has a magical way of thrusting people from all over the world together and watching them bloom in vivid motion together, establishing and nourishing bonds that can – and quite often do – last for a lifetime.
Free-falling out of your comfort zone
Studying abroad is a sure-fire way to take a giant leap out of your comfort zone. When studying, it is so easy to fall into the same old patterns, becoming comfortable with what we are familiar with and becoming exceedingly more uncomfortable with the concept of stepping out of that comfort zone. When you study abroad, that comfort zone is definitively left behind. In the process, you inevitably gain real world experience. Abroad study is a great way to round out your edges and embrace every part of who you are, and what you want out of life.
Taking sole accountability for your studies
It does not necessarily matter what you choose to study. At one point or another (often at multiple points, in fact), it is easy to want to fall off the bandwagon. Regardless of if you are studying cryptocurrency guides for your next business and finance assignment, or digging up an excavation site abroad in Tuscany at your school’s annual archaeology trip (or any other manner of studious methods, for that matter), it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have more time. However, studying abroad effectively kicks that mentality to the curb (most of the time), and students become more accountable because they need to be.
