Benefit Of Studying Abroad

I think it is important to study abroad because it rewards students with the invaluable gift of being completely immersed in oftentimes, what is a new culture. Having an intercultural experience is so extremely important in order to broaden one’s sense of cultural understanding, and cultural competency. I think living in the U.S., one can often become rather ethnocentric, and lose sight of just how diverse the rest of the world is, and because of that we view cultural differences amongst ourselves as threatening rather than celebrating these very differences. This is especially true for students, who might not otherwise have had various opportunities to travel, and experience new cultures in this way.

In addition, I believe studying abroad it is a unique educational experience that can teach us students things that often cannot be learned in a traditional school setting. For instance, it is one thing to sit in a classroom, and be lectured about a culture. However, you gain a completely different understanding when you can actually experience the culture for yourself. I believe learning does not always take place in the classroom, and studying abroad is a great testament to this. …show more content…
One thing I do appreciate about UW is the diversity that can be seen all across campus. It is diverse enough to feel like you are out of your own cultural comfort zone, but yet, for lack of a better word, UW is still quaint enough that you can find many other people who look similar to yourself, no matter what cultural group you may identify with. That being said, I definitely do feel that completely immersing myself in a new cultural experience would be a humbling experience, as well as make me more aware of the French Polynesian