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Mentor Advice

Question

How has study abroad and travel abroad helped you today?

7 Replies from Mentors

  • mentor picture Rae Rae
     
    Rae Rae
    Senior Year Student
    Loyola Marymount University
    My time abroad has helped me in various ways. Obviously, my time in France improved my...
    My time abroad has helped me in various ways. Obviously, my time in France improved my language skills. In London I met some great friends who I still speak with to this day, learned about the history and current policies of the U.K. government, and useful skills at an internship. But most of all I learned about other cultures which in turn, helped me to greater appreciate my own. London is such a melting pot; I had friends from Nigeria, India, Poland, Ireland and much more. Words cannot describe the perspective you have once you return home; you just have to experience it for yourself. Also I became much more independent. I first studied abroad when I was 15 and basically wandered around southern France alone for a summer. I and matured so much in such a short time span. I would highly recommend going abroad if you have never been away from your family for long or have not seen outside cultures. You will learn so much!
  • mentor picture Hanna
     
    Hanna
    Undergraduate Student
    The University of Chicago
    Study abroad has profoundly shaped how I think about the world. It has allowed me to experience...
    Study abroad has profoundly shaped how I think about the world. It has allowed me to experience other cultures - really living them every day, as when I ate dinner at 8 p.m. and took a daily nap at 3:30 when all the shops were closed in Greece, when I rode a camel and covered up my entire body in clothing in hot weather in Egypt, or when I ate a full Korean meal for breakfast in Korea. No longer do I have a romantic, idealized view of the countries where I studied abroad, but rather a more realistic and richer, fuller view of these countries because of the time I spent there. Study abroad opened my eyes to the fact that people outside of the United States can and do live very differently from us; it has forced me to reflect upon the differences and take a more critical, though still proud, look at the United States.