Why Study Abroad?
Living abroad is an adventure that you will remember always, but there are more reasons to consider the option. Some are practical, others are more personal, but all involve changing your life.

1. Become more marketable.
In an increasingly global marketplace, job candidates who are bilingual or exhibit an understanding for different cultures have an edge. The business world is full of anecdotes about how companies misunderstood a foreign market with disastrous results. On a more basic level, many employers recognize the qualities that exchange students must have before they go and probably acquire through their study abroad experience. Study abroad can illustrate boldness, flexibility, open-mindedness, confidence, character, and curiosity just to name a few traits. In interviews and on your résumé, you should showcase your study abroad experience and tell how it makes you stand out.

2. Study subjects in context.
Expand your knowledge of art, literature, history, geography, politics, economics . . . Walk through the halls where kings signed treaties or stand beneath sculptures that honor ancient gods. Subjects that sometimes feel far-removed come alive when you study abroad. At the very least, you will gain a new awareness of the world outside the U.S.

3. Learn about a culture.
Immersion teaches more about a culture than you could ever hope to learn at home. Living in a foreign culture as opposed to visiting or just passing through, gives you insights into people and places you've only seen in movies or read about in books.

4. Learn about the U.S.A.
American customs that we take for granted may become apparent a you compare and contrast them to those of your host country. In addition, study abroad offers the opportunity to understand cultures that lend themselves to the heritage of America's "Melting Pot."

5. Travel around the world.
Study abroad opens the door to travel all over the world. Once abroad, traveling is usually easy and inexpensive. Just take a train to the country next door and stay in a youth hostel. You don't need a car or lots of money, but you do need a budget and sense of adventure.

6. Meet interesting people.
Students who study abroad make contacts all over the world. Whether you want to practice a language, learn about a culture, or network for job prospects, people are your greatest resource. Many students return from studying abroad with friendships that cross cultures and last a lifetime. At the very least, you are guaranteed to meet people with a different slant on the world.

7. Promote Peace.
"If people get together, so eventually will nations," Dwight D. Eisenhower once said. Others in government from William J. Fulbright to George Bush have echoed similar sentiments. Study abroad might not just change your life, but the world.

8. Find your calling.
For those unsure of what to do with their lives, study abroad can be an inspiration. It may give you the time and distance to clearly examine your choices in the U.S. or it might serve as the catalyst to an international career.

9. Become a stronger person.
The experience expands your mind, but also instills confidence and self-reliance. Learn to navigate a German subway system or order from a menu written in French. The sense of accomplishment is great. After living in a foreign culture with its constant challenges, students say they feel more capable of facing life choices at home.

10. You may never get another chance.
Responsibilities tend to increase upon college graduation with work, relationships, and family.  This may be the only time in your life when you will be able to take a significant amount of time to study in another country.  Don't let missing out on study abroad be one of the biggest regrets of your college career.