"The Real Greek Life" by Mary

"The Real Greek Life" by Mary - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

The University of Dallas offers one of the foremost study abroad programs in the nation. This is one of our major selling points to prospective students, which we usually pitch as the following: “We don’t have Greek life; instead, we live in Greece.” While this is technically a misnomer, as the campus is in Rome a few miles away from Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence, the truth remains: as a UD student, you have the opportunity to spend a semester abroad learning and traveling with friends on a different continent. We naturally assume that if you enrolled, you will go to Rome during your sophomore year. There is even a rivalry over which semester offers you more in the way of weather or cultural experiences: “Spromer” (Spring Rome-r) versus “Fromer” (Fall Rome-r). I, however, was a “Nomer” (No Rome-r) because, although we offer financial aid, my family and I could not financially afford to send me abroad.

With that in mind, you may expect that I would write against study abroad programs everywhere, citing that it does little more than create socioeconomic class distinction, bitterly typing this on a laptop that was never checked into the luggage I would have taken with me to Rome. You would be wrong. Instead, despite having never gone to Rome, much less never leaving the country, I do believe that it is in the best interest of students to study abroad.

Studying abroad made what we read in textbooks a reality for my peers while it submerged them in another culture. This gave them context for how the world works. Yet another distinguishing feature of the University of Dallas is its liberal arts program, which focuses on the Classics. Even though I learned about the great works of Western art, I never saw them in person like many of my classmates did. The pieces I was drawn to will always, unless I travel overseas, be a Google image posted on a PowerPoint to me. It does not register to me that this exists in the same world as me. Likewise, this extends to other areas of culture. While my exposure is limited, those who went to Rome know the various European languages, have explored countries’ architecture, and tasted the cuisine firsthand. They had the opportunity to see remnants of historic events and how this translates into the countries’ current standing, putting art, history, literature, philosophy, and our foreign language classes into perspective. Those who have studied abroad are the lucky ones: they know the world beyond the limits of foreign films, photography, or inspired restaurants.

This subsequent awareness of where countries currently stand also allows students to learn their place in the broader scope of the entire world, making them more informed global citizens. It is one thing for me to acknowledge that there is an economic crisis affecting Europe, another to see how this translates into pricing or to speak with the country’s citizens and ask how it has affected their livelihood. My peers who studied abroad saw the power of the American dollar in addition to the protection afforded to them as American tourists. They saw the bearing our economy and political state have on that of other nations, and they had the opportunity to rid themselves of any preconceived judgments against foreigners as well as understand why there exist attitudes against Americans in the global sphere.

Although I did not study abroad, I did develop on my own when I stayed in Texas last year. I had the opportunity to find the best places for groceries, coffee, and gas, and I thrived as an adult. As a born-and-raised Texan, I know more of my state’s various towns and cities; as an American, I know how to make the most of the economy I am in and will enter whenever I finish my degrees. While comfortable in my city, the scope of what I know about the world is very limited. Having never studied abroad, I am painfully ignorant of the world beyond me.

If it was a collegiate requirement to study abroad and there was ample funding in place to make it a reality, I imagine that students would be made into self-aware, cultured citizens who understand their role in the global economy.