Margaret BauerPeople normally present a few basic arguments against going abroad. They don’t want to leave their friends, they don’t want to miss out on a semester at school, people who don’t speak English are scary and smell bad. And while these may be valid reasons (mostly), they are also very short-term oriented. Going abroad, in addition to being the most fun I’ve ever had, is also very helpful in long terms ways that just another semester at Washington University doesn’t come close to providing.
First of all, there’s the simple opportunity. Never again in your entire life will you have the chance to leave everything behind for about half a year, and come back without any interruption in your studies or job. If you told your boss after college, “Hey, I’ll see you in 4 months, I’m off to Australia,” not only would he think you were insane, he would probably fire you on the spot. In college, however, this is not only acceptable behavior, it’s encouraged, with a wide variety of locations and programs to choose from. Even though I sound like an infomercial here, the point is that no matter what your major, what languages you speak, where you want to go, chances are pretty good you’ll be able to do it.
This past semester I spent abroad has prepared me much better for life after college than any time at the University could. Going to Prague for a semester put me in an unknown city, with a new group of people and a completely different set of circumstances. This setup, however, is not too different from the one I’ll be facing after I graduate (deep breath) this coming spring. Without this past semester’s worth of experience interacting with new people, places and situations, I would be much more apprehensive about the impending end of my college career.
Furthermore, going abroad forces you out of the comfort zone that you’ve built up over 5 semesters at the University, which, given the already protective nature of the school, is quite a cushion. And, although it’s nice to be able to get sushi in multiple locations on campus, and buildings that all look exactly alike (except for Umrath, of course) make it easy on the eyes, taking a break from the unusual semi-reality that the University presents is helpful for both personal development, and, more importantly, personal sanity.
Eventually, going abroad presents the interesting paradox of being glad to leave the bubble and enjoying taking a break from the sometimes stifling effect that the University provides while also increasing appreciation of how unique and helpful that bubble can be. The great thing about going abroad that nobody talks about is that it makes you appreciate what you have back at school even more. Even though traveling all over Europe was fantastic, an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, I also managed to miss the weirdest semester on record, with very un-WU events like the sit-in/hunger strike and the infamous Lee 3 dump. How could I not be excited to come back to St. Louis after missing all that?
Seriously, after a semester away from the friends, activities and life that I have here, I couldn’t be more excited to get back. Only by leaving a place and looking at it from afar can you truly appreciate it; I’m glad I have the perspective on the University that I do now, both because I appreciate it more, and because it’s much healthier than the one I had before I left. And so, with my first column of the year, I’m asking you to trust me on this: leave the nest, burst the bubble, use whatever metaphor you like. Just make sure to go.