Opportunity vs. Regret by Aleksis

Opportunity vs. Regret by Aleksis - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

A week before I embarked to Spain for my second semester away, by far the most popular question asked was “Why study abroad again?” Studying abroad can mean many things, and certainly it is not for everyone. Leaving your comfort zone for a foreign land where you may or may not speak the language, the fear of not graduating on time or simply missing out on all the college events in campus while abroad may not be the ultimate choice for all students, however not taking it may be an even bigger regret.

As many fellow study abroad students may say, studying abroad can be fundamental from a personal level to standing out in the workforce. Although the lessons one learns simply by attending college may be immense, nothing can truly compare to the many challenges one endures in a country where you struggle with the language or having to figure out a way to get from A to B in a city where the all the signs are unfamiliar. You are forced to live with people of all sorts of nationalities and ideologies, where the only language you must speak in order to communicate is of the host country and meanwhile adapt to a culture vastly different than yours.

Studying abroad is not just traveling, it is an experience in which one moment you will feel on top of the world and all of a sudden feel so small. In actuality, there is plenty of studying, but not just in the classroom. It forces you as an individual to appreciate home while be more accepting of other cultures and their traditions. As my second study abroad experience comes to an end, I feel even more passionate in discussing the importance of studying abroad. Very few instances in life one will have the chance to simply study courses you could possibly take in your campus, meanwhile being able to see those very historical monuments you once saw in image in real life. In order to stand out in the workforce, you retain skills such as adaptability, leadership, problem solving and enhance communication.

In response to the “Why study abroad again,” I simply say “Why not?” What could one possibly lose, even if the experience ends up not as expected, by having the ability to see and learn more about your own country and others in somebody else’s point of view? For that, I strongly believe that requiring study abroad only can benefit one in enhancing skills that will be immensely valuable in the workforce, as well as rebuilding your one self from scratch. Because one day will come and one may regret not taking the opportunity than choosing to stay in the comfort level.