Turning Dreams into Reality by Mallory

Turning Dreams into Reality by Mallory - November 2017 Scholarship Essay

There is so much more to earning a degree than sitting through classes and learning the required material. In order to be successful in life, you must be able to put yourself in the shoes of the people you are working with. Understanding an individual requires so much more than asking them to fill out a questionnaire and reviewing the answers. It takes knowing their background, cultures, traditions, and beliefs. A great way to learn these qualities is to experience them first hand. One way to do this is by spending time in the area they grew up. By traveling abroad, you would be able to better relate to those of that specific culture. Having the opportunity to study abroad would not only help individuals to better understand people, but would provide that individual with experiences that only come once in a lifetime.
College is also one of those experiences that only come once in a lifetime, and by the end of it the average college student would consider themselves broke. However, there are two ways to look at this situation. You can either be broke and stuck at college for four years, or you can be broke and walk out of college knowing that you that you got the chance to study abroad. Studying abroad presents itself with many great opportunities. For example, the opportunity to make new friends, learn a new culture, try new foods, and learn new traditions. These are all things you are able to bring back home with you after your trip comes to an end. Aside from learning new things, there are many other reasons that make studying abroad a smart choice, such as, our nation's ever growing diversity.
Now more than ever there are large numbers of immigrants and diversities among the United States. These diversities include language, looks, traditions, and beliefs. As a result of these ever growing statistics, having experienced the world through the eyes of those who come from different cultures gives you the upper hand in many of life’s situations. One example of this is on job applications. If the job you want comes down to you and another individual, but your resume says ‘traveled abroad’ and your opponents does not, who do you think will most likely get hired?
I know that if the opportunity to study abroad ever presented itself to me, I would jump at the thought of it. This would be a great way to widen my perspectives of the world around me, and a great opportunity in general.