Should all college students be required to study abroad? by Kristen

Should all college students be required to study abroad? by Kristen - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

The opportunity to study abroad is such a privilege that everyone should take advantage of. In my opinion, it's an amazing time in ones life to experience life in another country and that countries culture. American's, in many ways live in a bubble. Though we are known as the melting pot ethnically , culturally we live very differently than most countries. By most standards, we are a wealthy society generally speaking. Spending time in another country, interacting with people, eating different foods and living in different climates expands our minds and broadens our horizons.
As far as making it a requirement , there are too many facets in the decision process and therefore the decision should remain an individuals choice. However, every college student should be given the chance to study abroad!
The advantages of doing so are many. With the advancement in technology, there is more interaction among people around the world combined with the ease of travel nowadays. This has created an operating expansion of companies in multiple countries. Employees are more often expected to travel as part of their employment. For those college students who have spent time studying abroad, this task is not as daunting as it might be to a person who has never spent time traveling outside of their own country.
There is also the learning aspect that comes with stepping outside of ones comfort zone and "seeing" the world. Our eyes are opened to unfamiliar ways and we learn and experience new things. In the end, we are brighter!