The Value of Studying Abroad and How it Prepares you for Post-Grad Life

In three days,  I will be leaving the comforts of home to live in Italy for a month through a study abroad program. I went to college a half hour away from home, and commuted for two of my four years there. The longest I’ve gone without seeing my family is two weeks. This experience will be like nothing I’ve ever done, and that is what studying abroad is all about.

I’ve noticed a change in the way my friends who have studied abroad carry themselves. Being abroad has changed they way they look at life and what they see as important and not important. I hope the same happens to me. I think that studying abroad helps to change your perspective on life and what goes on around you. After growing up and living in the same bubble for the past 22 years, I cannot see anything more important than seeing something new and having that newness change the way I look at life.

The benefits from studying abroad are enormous. While staying in Sorrento, Italy, I will be completing a 3 credit internship at the college in the city. International work experience is impressive to have on a resume, and will help you market yourself to future employers. Working in another country means you can network with professionals, improve your communication skills, and have the ability to conform to a new job in a very new setting.

It’s scary and overwhelming to think about sending your child abroad for an extended period of time. The experience for students, though, is unlike anything that could be learned in a classroom. An important part of college is learning about yourself and becoming a more well-rounded person, ready to enter the working world. I believe that in a month, when I return from Italy, I will be a lot more confident with myself and what I have to offer to the career path I walk down in the future.

-Renee Scalfani, Boston Tutoring Services