The Benefits of Studying Abroad
A Story Through Personal Experience
Studying abroad has fundamentally shaped who I am and how I experience the world.
So far, my education has been quite international. I finished two grades of high school at home in Montenegro, before I moved to Scotland to finish the Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers on a full, merit-based scholarship.
After Scotland, I went to Abu Dhabi to study at New York University Abu Dhabi on full financial aid. During my time at NYUAD, I did two study away semesters, one in Prague and one in New York.
I knew I wanted to study abroad before I even started high school. I wanted to travel and see the world, experience new cultures and cuisines, as well as replace memorization, an unavoidable part of Balkan education systems, with a system focused on discussions and problem solving.
I was incredibly lucky to have one of my best friends finish school in England. It was through her experiences of applying to scholarship and moving abroad that I learnt what studying abroad is like, ultimately convincing me to try to go down the same path. I decided to apply for the scholarship, got it, and so my journey of studying abroad started.
So far, I have studied in 4 countries for varied periods of time.
Every single experience uniquely shaped me as a person.
Scotland taught me how to establish a routine as an independent individual, balancing my newfound freedom to do whatever I want with the ambitions of excellence I left home with.
Abu Dhabi showed me how many people have experiences similar to mine, despite coming from backgrounds vastly different than mine.
Prague taught me work life balance, learning how to prioritize unique experiences of a study away semester with a desire to have all As.
New York taught me how different educational plans can look like for my classmates and how different people take value from different education activities.
Studying abroad was something I always wanted to try out.
Yet when I moved away, there were many times when I wanted to pack up my life and go back home, especially at times when I found it hard to fit in, establish a routine or figure out how to excel in my classes.
What kept me going was my commitment to taking as much as possible from the chances given to me. I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have such an educational journey and giving it up because of going through hard times was never an option I was willing to take.
Overcoming challenges, getting used to a life abroad and learning how to do well in classes all made me who I am. It made me a flexible person who quickly adjusts to new environments. It made me a global citizen, in tune with people from around the world, able to form personal connections with those that I share so much with yet are very unlike me. It made me well traveled, filled with fun memories and insightful experiences from across the globe.
They improved my English, making me fully fluent in this global language, while also making me a critical thinker who enjoys nerding out at university and learning as much as possible about her majors.
Deciding to study abroad is a difficult decision.
Your desire to go see the world is usually offset by your fears of finding your ground in the new country. It takes commitment and bravery to embark on this journey. Yet, I am a testament to how life changing studying abroad is. I cannot and do not want to imagine who I would be without all of my experiences abroad. I am thankful for all the life lessons and skills I got from pursuing education abroad, which set me apart from others in both education, social, personal and professional aspects.
If you decide to embark on a journey similar to mine (which I hope I convinced you you should!) you are likely to come out of it as an improved, enlightened individual, filled with incredible experiences and life lessons to share.
