Chocolate, cheese, and Zurich, Switzerland

It goes without saying, but studying abroad is a huge commitment. It’s an amazing experience, but also incredibly expensive and in most cases, you’ll miss your favorite restaurant or your (favorite) family and friends. However, I could name a billion positive reasons to counter the two negative + any more reasons you might have of studying abroad.

First, you’ll make lifelong friends; I mean, it’s the perfect time to add more diversity to your group!!! You’ll meet friends from all over the world and start mingling with the locals; nothing helps you understand the world better than getting an up and personal view of cultures from around the globe. Which also opens the door for becoming bilingual or trilingual in a short amount of time; I mean, if I can do it, you could too. You could come to Barcelona with no Spanish and leave with conversational-some-what-put-together Spanish if you tried. Second, traveling is easy—when you study abroad in Barcelona you could easily hop on a bus to Germany for Oktoberfest (19 or 20 hours but no big deal when you’re with friends and alcohol, right?), catch a train to Switzerland for some fondue or even get a cheap flight to Berlin to take photos with the famous wall. A whole new part of the world will suddenly be waiting to be experienced by you; you’d only sit in class for 4 days and get to travel for 3 days (or 4/5 if you decide to skip a few classes, but you didn’t hear it from me). Third, it will definitely expand your interests. It might sound crazy right now but maybe you’re an expert skydiver or a natural salsa dancer but you’ll never know until you try. When you study abroad, you encounter so many things and find yourself in places you could have never imagined. It’s a great time to try new things and find out what you truly love. But most importantly, it’s a time for self-discovery. You’re probably already in your 20s or if not, very near (and trust me, it’ll fly); therefore, this experience will really help you find yourself. Leaving your home and your family means you have to rely on yourself more than ever before and by expanding the boundaries of your world and exploring new countries (or if not, your new city) and cultures on your own, you most likely will see a side of yourself that you didn’t know you had.

There are doubts before you decide to study abroad but there are also doubts when you step foot into a country you’ve never been to - with locals who speak languages you’ve never listened to - with cultural traditions you’re not used to. When you’re packing the necessary clothes, electronics, and pretty much anything you’ll need for 3 to 4 months you might not think about what foods/places you’ll really miss. But it’s really nothing to worry about because there will be a Japanese restaurant, a Mexican restaurant or a cool café for you to do your homework.