Studying Abroad: Inspiring Future Architects Since Ancient Rome by Kayla

Studying Abroad: Inspiring Future Architects Since Ancient Rome by Kayla - November 2017 Scholarship Essay

Spain has the Guggenheim and La Sagrada Familia, Dubai has the Burj Khalifa, The Parthenon towers over Greece, and The Renaissance left Italy brimming with structural wonders. For centuries, architects have been astounding people all over the world with beautiful, unique, or even outrageous designs. Therefore, the problem is not if studying abroad would be beneficial while pursuing architecture, it’s where one would go.
But surely one can become inspired by simply road tripping around the U.S? Why would one need to go abroad to look at buildings, when we have the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, and Louis Sullivan right here in our own country? Although yes, the U.S. boats claim to a few of the world’s most famous structures, such as the Empire State Building, Falling Water, and The White House, the rest of the world has so much more. This past summer, I went on a school trip to Italy. Walking through the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, and many other jaw dropping structures that are older than the United States itself, I realized that the best architectural gems are abroad.
Getting the opportunity to study the different styles and eras of architecture around the world would help inspire me throughout my education to keep trying new, and unique styles. I want to walk through the streets where greatest architectural minds of all time have lived. The structures around the world, both old and new, could help me create designs that I can be proud of. And maybe, one day, I can add to the road trip of architectural must-sees here in the U.S.