This column is for the sophomores, who, among the difficulties of declaring majors, finding roommates, apartment hunting and taking a test or two in between all of that, still have another important question on their mind – do I study abroad?

There are plenty of good reasons to study abroad – make sure you have one before signing up. Taking five months out of your time at Washington University is a double-edged sword. While you gain a new perspective from spending a semester abroad, you also lose a semester spent in a place you now probably call home. Look through the rearview mirror at what you will leave behind. There is a whole wide world out there to explore while studying abroad; there’s an equally important world right on campus that you have spent the past two years shaping and building. Look both ways before you cross the pond.

According to my training as a Wash. U. tour guide, about a quarter of students do decide to take the plunge. Why and where should you go? In the search for answers, you can spend hours surfing study abroad Web sites, make daily stops by the Styx house to check out brochures, and attend endless information sessions. You will hear students tell you they had the absolute time of their life studying abroad; in fact, it fundamentally shaped their college experience. You may hear from those who nostalgically recall their “semester-long study break,” a magical land that combines an over-18 drinking age and pass/fail classes. You probably will not hear from the students who characterize their semester as a downright miserable time. They tend not to frequent the information sessions. These things help; you will learn where you can study abroad through your major, how to go about getting a passport, and how to survive culture shock. But unfortunately, you will not find out whether or not you should be going abroad in the first place.

I searched for this information one year ago, another intrepid sophomore on the fence, deciding between St. Louis or Scotland. I knew I had a five-month semester ahead of me, four roommates already set on their destinations and one big decision. I laid my cards on the table: this was a unique opportunity. I always love a new adventure. My entire class seemed to be fleeing the campus for new cultures. I decided to do the same. I did not know how much I would miss the culture I had left behind. I did not know how much I loved my life at Wash. U. until I was somewhat stranded in Scotland, divided by one big ocean and one big time difference from the campus I would love to call home.

I have friends who are having fabulous times abroad, enjoying an experience that they simply could not have had in St. Louis. I have other friends calling me crying at least once a week, complaining about an awful experience and counting down the days until they can return to St. Louis. I find myself somewhere in between the two, enjoying this unique chance to become integrated into European culture but also missing my life in St. Louis. Some days I call home enthralled with a weekend exploring the Scottish countryside; other times I cannot stand being 10,000 miles away from everything that I left. I gained a new perspective; I lost a solid foundation.

There is a reason you are at Washington University, and hopefully it’s not because you were deferred from Harvard. Put aside the parents, SAT scores and the loads of flyers that Wash. U. uses to flood your mailbox. Out of the thousands of universities that you could have attended, you decided to spend four years of your life here. For two years you have been finding your group, pursuing your interests, and, most basically, making main campus home. Do not leave that foundation without a quite compelling reason to do so.

There is indeed an entire whole world to explore but also an entire lifetime to do it in. Want to start exploring after graduation? Where there is a Wash. U. student and a will, there is most definitely a way. Study abroad is by no means your only chance to experience life in another culture. You have just one shot at Wash. U.

Sarah Kliff is a junior in Arts & Sciences, currently studying at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

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