A Big College Question: Should I Study Abroad?

Yes.

Just kidding. Well, I'm not kidding; you should study abroad. But how lame would that have been if I wrote a one-word blog post? Haha... Anyway.

Study abroad is a really cool option for college students, but, obviously, not everyone wants to or is able to. But if it's something you're considering at all, I think the opportunity to get out and explore is definitely worth the risk.

There are a few ways to go about starting the process to apply. Luckily, a lot of students at SMC choose to study abroad, so you can meet with an advisor in the study abroad office to help you.

In my meeting, the first thing we talked about were regions of interest. I've been thinking about Chile and Argentina, and for my Anthropology major I have to study abroad in a non-European/North American country, so we looked mostly at South America. I'd been really set on Chile, I thought, so I was really surprised when I came away from the meeting thinking about Brasil. But after talking through study topics of interest, and courses that I wanted to transfer, I ended on a program in Northern Brasil studying amazonian ecology and sustainability.

So it's really important to go into the process with an open mind. Besides, your interests may change, and there are so many options, it would be hard not to feel conflicted.

So I'll be applying for the program later this semester, and I've got my fingers crossed!

Thanks for reading!