Study Abroad: is it a good idea?

When we come to college we come here for more than the grades. We all get a lesson in life, culture and finding out who we are. Coming to UNC Charlotte we are all learning the lessons of independence and experiencing living in a different place with different people. So what would the difference be between staying here for four years and spending a year studying in another country?

As a student from Kingston University in London on an exchange here in Charlotte for an academic year I can say that I would push anybody to take the opportunity and embrace the chance to experience another culture.

My experience at UNC Charlotte has been probably the best experience of my life. The difference of college here and college in the United Kingdom is huge. Academically the systems are similar but the lifestyles are a million miles apart.

Landing here in August I didn’t know what to expect. I walked out of Charlotte Douglass International Airport after a 12 hour trip and was blown away at the difference that one plane journey can make.

The obvious thing at first was the accents and the weather. Even at 3am when I landed the humidity and the hospitality was jaw dropping. Since that day I have been fortunate enough to have the full American college experience. I mean I didn’t even know what beer pong was until I arrived here.

Some of the things that American people do on a daily or weekly basis are some things that I have never even heard of.

A couple examples of this are things like mac and cheese and Four Loko. There is also the difference of how Americans party, I consider myself a party animal and I love to drink but when we party back in England we have a few drinks and hit two or three clubs and stroll home at 4am.

Whereas in the U.S. I can go over to somebody’s apartment and the drinking can resume there all night. To me this is a weird way to spend a night out not in a bad way but it is a very different atmosphere.

If a student from UNC Charlotte were to go to London for one or two semesters they would not believe how different college life is. People always ask me things like, “So do you always eat fish and chips?” or “Why do you guys drive on the wrong side of the road?” and the best one that is “So why would you want to come to Charlotte?”

These questions get asked every day and my answer to all of them is, “Go to London and find out for yourself.” Study abroad allows people to embrace another culture. I thought I knew a lot about this country but I didn’t know anything.

I used to describe Americans as fat yanks that sat and played Xbox all day, eating fast food whilst complaining how gas prices were too high. Now I know that what I thought was completely wrong. I love this country and feel at home walking around campus I even missed the U.S. over Christmas break, it’s that amazingly different here.

If I was an American student I would honestly be thinking about the hot International girls, the lower drinking ages, the special attention you will receive from professors, the amazing food, the different social events, the different sports and the general fact that you are establishing yourself and making international contacts for the future and if you are studying a language then it can be a bonus.

In 2010, 260,327 American students got on a plane and took their studies to another country; International Education Exchange reports and shows how popular the decision is.

If the opportunity comes, take it, it is very necessary and it will change you and mold you as a person with one great experience to add to a resume.