Independence is Intimidatingly Positive by Amy

Independence is Intimidatingly Positive by Amy - November 2017 Scholarship Essay

Thinking about college now, it seems scary to live on your own. No parents, no one saying “get this done!”, no guidance. It’s a little intimidating. If I was able to study abroad I would learn to be independent and hopefully that would make the transition of moving away for college a little easier. I know if I moved to another country I would grow a lot as a person. I believe it takes a lot of bravery to move away from your home, let alone to another country. It also takes a lot of maturity to study abroad, as you need to make smart decisions on your own. If I ever was to move to another country for my education, these skills could be used in my college experience when I returned to the states. I would hope that I would come back with a wider, more experienced lense. This lense could help me understand how small my world is and see how much more is out there. Once I had seen another country I know I would be interested in traveling and I would want to learn about more cultures. Hopefully I could apply the maturity that I gained and use it when I have returned to college. I could also see myself learning how much I miss home, from traveling abroad. I might get home and realize I never want to live that far away ever again. This could help me make the decision on whether to go to a community college or an out of state school. At this point, since I haven’t left the country alone, I feel confident in going to college out of my home state, Oregon, but I could definitely see myself not wanting to leave for another four years after coming home from another country. This would be very helpful, in that I could make my decision much easier. Studying abroad seems like an all-around encouraging option for many students. The independent growth by itself is a significant reason to travel abroad.