To Study Abroad... by Dane

To Study Abroad... by Dane - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

The meditative trance of the Shakuhachi, the profound philosophy lecture resonating at La Sorbonne, or the flooding emotions of the Flamenco: the allures of studying abroad seem universal—a lucid window to a land similar to dreams, unknown and teeming with the promises that only life can bring.

What more can be said? Who could disagree? It seems now the only thing to do is to start shipping the fine youth of college off to exotic lands thus allowing for the promises enumerated above, but to do so, I am afraid, would be a great error.

You see, before the mellifluous Shakuhachi or the existential course of La Sorbonne or the fervid Flamenco or finally the oneiric experiences of other places, there is an essential requirement on which all else is predicated: an internal desire—or seeking—for the foreign.

Experience without reflection is like regarding the Mona Lisa but internally focusing on whether you left the stove on. Confronted with new sounds, rhythms, people, and ideas, the true student should be forced into reflection. This reflection could be light such as an afternoon reverie of the beauty of the place but also dark like an inner resonance—a shaking to your core—with penury, famine, injustice: Hopelessness. To not be put into this state of rumination is to deny any form of internal change—an indulgent vacation that will further nothing: no new connections to others, no new bonds, no new friends. Nothing.

This reflection is the seed of change, the genesis of a new idea that has changed one person and will quite possibly change others. These new ideas—you might not agree, you might lambaste the very concept! But maybe not. You might adopt them, perhaps a fearless disciple will you be, promulgating tirelessly with conviction this newfound truth. The point is that the spirit, the magic, and all the purpose of studying abroad is the inner change it will bring—to see the world in a different way brought about by experiencing a different part of the world!

But before this can be fulfilled the students themselves must internally be open to these new ideas and experiences. Although many students are, many are not. It is this simple fact that should prohibit colleges from forcing study abroad. However, a true college—as an inspirer of the pursuit of knowledge—should not inhibit those who do seek for a foreign unknown! The true college should encourage and support those who are internally prepared for the adventure, thus allowing for the students to pursue their own internal seeking and intellectual interests. And finally, the example of those who do study abroad will perhaps inspire those who are not yet ready for both the experiences and the ramifications—and should this animation inspire those who were not ready the college should support them on their journey as well, thus continuing the chain of seekers.

And so, to conclude, if the mood delineated above is true of the student than without any doubt—not one single bit—let studying abroad grace their future and let celeritous be their dispatch to these enchanting lands. For with a heart internally prepared—internally seeking—nothing should stand in their way as dream and the unknown become the real and realized as they take a step outside, far away, abroad…