There were a few reasons why I wanted to spend a summer abroad, spending money rather than making it— away from the friends and family I only see on those short breaks from St. Louis rather than with them, almost totally out of contact with anyone I knew before I got on the plane to Europe. First of all, I wanted to go to Germany. I started taking German classes here and fell in love with the language, and, equally importantly, the department. The stories they told and the language they taught painted a picture of an idyllic place where one could go to escape from the day-to-day life and have an unforgettable adventure or two. I also thought it was silly to be a German major and not go to Germany.

Wash. U. made it as easy as could be for me to go. In fact, they encouraged it. There were ample opportunities for scholarships, though there would have been more if I had chosen to spend a semester abroad rather than the summer. Had I gone in the spring, I would have been in Germany for about double the amount of time I was over the summer. My language skills would certainly have shown a corresponding increase.

So why, then, did I choose to go abroad over the summer, rather than do a program that had a strong chance of being more helpful to me, and one to which I was more likely to get a scholarship? That answer is simple: Wash. U.

I am a junior now. I am halfway done with my undergraduate studies. I only have four semesters left. After that, who knows what will happen. I would like to go to Germany again for a while and then to law school. That means time separated from my friends here, time away from this place that I love so much. And when I leave, I cannot be sure that I will ever come back, either to the people or the places. I hope to, but even if I do, I cannot be sure that everything will be the same. I don’t have much time left, and I don’t want to miss a single second of it.

Study abroad. Even if you’re not going for a language, or you want to go to a place where you don’t speak the language, or you have any other concerns, get out of here for a time and go experience something. But if I like you, do it over the summer, so I don’t have to miss you.