Column: Studying abroad will broaden your horizons

Whether it be the experiences, the friends or the lifelong memories, studying abroad can greatly benefit your personal and professional endeavors. 

This summer, I had the opportunity to study abroad at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Studying abroad gave me insight into which specific career path I hope to pursue and allowed me to gain essential global cultural experiences by interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and various international perspectives. 

Going into my experience, I only knew a couple people in my program and I wasn’t sure of how I would handle being in an entirely new country on my own. I had to learn how to navigate London's different public transportation systems and often found myself overwhelmed by new cultural experiences. Studying abroad allowed me to challenge myself educationally, with my own independence and a deeper cultural immersion than normal tourism would give.

UNC-Chapel Hill student Elena Vierengel studied abroad through the Carolina Global Launch program in Granada, Spain and became a study abroad peer advisor.

“I think it just offered a different perspective, because business and work-life balance in general in Spain is extremely different from the U.S.,” Vierengel said. “It was interesting just to experience a different way of negotiation and doing business.”

Like Vierengel, Samuel Coble studied abroad through the Carolina Global Launch program and became a study abroad peer advisor. “It really helped me realize the ways I like to learn and how I think I best display my work,” Coble said. “I really realized that writing papers is something I'd rather do than take an exam, which has really helped me kind of narrow out where I find success at Carolina.”

Study abroad offers the potential to significantly benefit students professionally by allowing them to take more rigorous and interesting coursework that is not offered at UNC as well as broadening their perspectives on global situations.

In one of my classes, we had open conversations about ongoing political conflicts without judgment, including the varied opinions from people living in countries other than America, allowing me to reflect on my life as an American more objectively while simultaneously critiquing and improving my own leadership and business capabilities.

Studying abroad may seem financially inaccessible for a lot of students or be daunting to approach without knowing the language and grow fears of not getting credit for courses. The UNC Study Abroad office offers financial assistance and advisors to help with this.

 “We even have a financial aid officer or financial aid advisor that works with our office directly,” Lauren Russell, a general advisor and events coordinator for the UNC Study Abroad Office, said. "That doesn’t stop when a student goes abroad.”

While it was challenging to adapt to the city and manage course credit, the communication from the study abroad office helped me settle in. However, the unfamiliarity with the culture and city is partly what made the process so rewarding and exciting.

When I look back at my time spent abroad, I will remember the incredibly unique experiences it afforded me. Having a conversation with a stranger in a cafe who had planned to walk across the entire European continent on foot, my roommate finding a marketing internship on a river boat in Amsterdam and even traveling to the Olympics in Paris because of a girl I made friends with in my program.

Whether it be studying abroad or another opportunity, put yourself in a situation that even when you may feel uncomfortable, allows you to grow personally, professionally and globally.

@dthopinion | opinion@dailytarheel.com