With winter break looming ahead, students aiming to study abroad in the 2017-18 school year are scrambling to make appointments with advisors at the International House in order to obtain all the information they need before officially deciding where to apply to study abroad.
If you are on the fence about study abroad, here are the five main reasons why you might want to consider applying:
1. Since DU is one of the top study abroad schools in the nation (we are the No. 4 Doctorate Institute for undergraduate study abroad), it certainly has its own unique appeal. The systems that DU has in place, with required info meetings like Study Abroad 101 and easy-to-make appointments with advisors to get questions answered, make a clear and organized path for Pios to venture overseas, as DU does this for hundreds of students each year.
2. Almost all of the juniors are gone in the fall each year, since close to 70 percent are abroad. The juniors that stay behind typically experience feelings of loneliness with their best friends being abroad. If this is something that would bum you out, consider jumping on the study abroad train.
3. If you are concerned that studying abroad will put you behind for graduating on time, don’t be fooled. DU’s study abroad programs can be browsed easily, and a student can search for programs that match/support their major. DU’s program search makes it easy to see where in the world you can study for your major. Just be sure to double check with an advisor at the International House to make sure the credits will transfer over.
4. The options are endless for where you can go, and each location has something special to offer. Cities around Europe like Amsterdam, London, Budapest and more provide beautiful architecture that make you feel like you are living hundreds of years in the past, and they are also in prime locations to travel to other countries. You can go to the Southern Hemisphere to experience countries like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa or even Madagascar if you are looking for the thrill of adventure. There are also numerous programs offered throughout Latin America and South America, including a program in Havana, Cuba.
5. You won’t get the flexibility of your college years back. Legally, you are an adult, but at the same time, most students don’t shoulder the responsibilities that a working adult does. Commitments of the post-college life such as bills, work and a family are costly and time consuming, which make it difficult to travel. As a young person, you might as well take advantage of traveling and seeing the world while it is still feasible.
All in all, the choice is yours, but the option of eating gelato and pizza in Italy after class on Monday or studying the Great Barrier Reef in Australia sounds like a good route to take.
