Please Don't Do This by Shianne

Please Don't Do This by Shianne - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

Required, requirements, obligated, obligations, committed, commitments—harsh verbs and nouns like these make college students like me cringe with nervousness. No one like to be told what to do—especially if it pushes them out of their comfort zone. While it’s great for people to escape their comfort zone and experience personal growth, it needs to be voluntary. I know for a fact that trying to force Lionhead bunnies to play with you doesn’t work; instead, they’ll interact with you when they’re comfortable, and not a minute before. I do not think that all college students should be forced to study abroad. How would someone that is pursuing a degree in physical education, music, or criminology benefit from studying abroad? I mean, sure they’ll be able to explore new things, but studying abroad wouldn’t necessarily help them to be better off or more educated in their field of study.
Although I don’t think students should be required to study abroad, it would be nice if every student was given that opportunity. I, personally, wouldn’t want to study abroad, at least not now; I’m not mentally prepared for such a big culture shock. By no means am I suggesting that studying abroad wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience; I’m sure it would be a pleasant, eye-opening opportunity. It’s just something that I’m not prepared for. Honestly, if colleges forced students to study abroad, I don’t know if I’d be here. I take that back. I need a degree in order to become a physician, so I’d still go—just not readily. I have friends, on the other hand, that would love to study abroad. Change is just their cup of tea.