Mentor Advice
Question
7 Replies from Mentors
-
Rae RaeSenior Year StudentLoyola Marymount UniversityMy 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!
-
HannaUndergraduate StudentThe University of ChicagoStudy 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.