Gondola rides in Venice, museum tours in France, skydiving in the Swiss Alps, camel rides in Morocco, silent discos in Madrid—the adventures are endless. Most of us are given the opportunity to study abroad in different countries.
Depending on majors and other school programs, students who choose to go abroad generally travel during their fourth or fifth semester. Although Saint Louis University has a campus in Madrid, there are many other programs that are offered by SLU. The question is how do we choose where to go?
Students choose to travel abroad because of several different reasons. Whether it be to experience a new country, to travel around the world with friends or just to try something new, we all have our own reasons. Although traveling to the SLU Madrid campus seems to be the most convenient and therefore most popular and appealing option, there are other factors that go into a student’s final decision. Each campus has something different to offer a student. Each country has its own language, tradition and culture in which students can be immersed.
Many students who have studied abroad in the past have said that studying abroad is all about what you make of it. Some students may choose to study in a country where they know the language and are familiar with the culture. However, there are also those students who choose to fully embrace a new culture and study in a country with which they are unfamiliar and where they are not fluent in the language. Whatever a student decides, he or she is guaranteed to have an amazing experience.
Having an unforgettable adventure is the easy part. The hard part is choosing where to have this adventure. What should students really look at when choosing their study abroad location? Should students go wherever they are most comfortable? Should they go where all their friends are going? So many factors contribute to this decision and at times it can cause a lot of stress on students.
The SLU Madrid campus seems to be extremely popular because of its central location in the city as well as its transferable courses; and let’s not forget the fact that students would be studying abroad with fellow SLU friends and classmates! Because of the popularity of this campus students get to experience a whole new culture with some of their closest friends.
Although, like every abroad program, it does require pre-planning and course scheduling, the organization and access to resources at the Madrid campus are sure to help students with the international transition. Having friends with you is sure to make this transition easier as well. While many students love traveling the world with friends, others prefer to jet off on their own.
While traveling abroad alone might seem like an opportunity of a lifetime to some, it can be very daunting to others. These students would be living in completely different worlds all on their own. This can be a huge setback for some who are nervous about venturing out by themselves, but students have to remember that they won’t be the only ones on their own.
One nice thing about studying abroad is that every single student is in the exact same boat. A foreign country is new for everyone. Every student must get accustomed to his or her new home, and this might take some time.
SLU students are very lucky to have a corresponding campus in another country, but not all students at other universities have this access and are therefore required to go out on their own at a new university. If students all over the country can do this, so can SLU students. The school life abroad would take a little longer for these students to adjust to because they would have to start over and meet all new friends, but it would definitely be manageable and worth it.
Either way, if students travel with new or old friends, they will all have amazing adventures. Although everyone travels with different people and for different reasons, everyone is there for the experience, and that means something. This studying abroad decision can be challenging and stressful at times, but it is important to remember that no matter where students choose to study abroad, they will all have amazing experiences.
Who knows, some of these students may leave this country as study abroad students and return as future international travelers! Each campus, no matter how far away it is from your house, your friends, or your comfort zone, will offer amazing opportunities to every single student. The purpose of studying abroad is not the location: it is the adventure.
Maeve Donahue is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.
