From Here To There by Brodie

From Here To There by Brodie - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

As our world becomes more technologically advanced it is becoming a smaller place. As the world become smaller, just walking down one street can mean walking through twenty different countries with different cultures, languages and habits. Due to this new closeness with all different races, religions, foods, languages and living habits we need to be educated. Colleges should require at least one abroad trip throughout a student’s undergraduate years. This trip could be a week or a whole year, the time there would introduce students to a new perspective on life and teach you how another cultural lives their life.
Studying abroad does not have to mean an entire semester away. For some students this may not be compatible with their major or their comfort zone. Many students may feel more comfortable going for just one week during spring break, summer break or winter break. Another group of students may enjoy only a month during something like J-term. No matter the length of time though students would be introduced to a whole other perspective.
When a student is away from home, perspective changes. What a student is used to is now gone for a little while and they have to think for themselves and rely upon who they are to survive essentially. Once you see how other people live as well how they go through everyday life you will see a change made in yours. In America we tend to rush things and we are very good at moving a million miles per hour. Other countries though live much slower lives- they take things in much more leisurely than we do. Visiting and living among these norms makes a person stop and think about how they are living life back in America. This can help a student prepare for the real world because they are able to step back and see the changes that need to be made in their life.
On top of learning how to be more independent and about themselves a student studying abroad is learning about another cultural. This is really important in our world right now. The student will learn how to interact in social situations that may differ from the US as well as what to do when you come across someone who does not speak the same language. They will learn customs and foods and languages that are apart of America but they have avoided due to fear or ignorance. Studying abroad can help them open their eyes to what each different culture has to offer. Also the student now knows what it’s like to be in a place that is not their home, where their language may not be the main language and where their culture is not the norm, they can take their new understanding and bring that home with them so when they see an immigrant or even a family who has been in the US for multiple generations they can understand many some of the struggles they are facing. As a student they can show compassion and if our students are showing compassion hopefully as adults they will too and it will become a cycle.
Studying abroad is by no means a small feat but as our world gets smaller there is no choice but to make it mandatory. There can be different lengths of time away, you will gain new perspective about yourself and the life you have been living as well as be able to understand what it’s like to be in a new country where everything you once knew was not the norm in your new country. Studying abroad is such a great life experience and colleges should really be pushing it to their students.