It is true that my choice to spend all of my junior year (and the following summer) abroad was the cause of this disorientation in the first place. Both of the classes that had been above me during my sophomore year were suddenly gone, and two new classes had taken their place.
Just a week before my arrival in Fayetteville, I was walking the bustling streets of Morocco, dodging crazed taxi drivers and bartering with street vendors. The relatively calm pace on campus proved to be something of a shock. Even with the jarring shift back to normal life, I count my time abroad among the best decisions that I have ever made.
Why do employers, scholarship committees, and
graduate schools across the nation look so favorably upon study abroad?
The answer is not in the professional or academic skills you may have
acquired. In fact, it is because studying abroad forces you to adapt to
life in an environment that you don’t understand. The simple daily
tasks that we take for granted at home can become harrowing ordeals
abroad. Even study in Britain, a country that shares our language and
much of our culture, requires you to change some of your habits (Helpful
hint: don’t forget that cars drive on the left).Study abroad also teaches you how to deal with an environment that doesn’t understand you. I was particularly struck by what one Moroccan friend told me. “You always think of your own culture as normal and as neutral,” she said after I committed a rather embarrassing cultural gaffe. “You must remember that, to us, it is as foreign as everything here is to you.” I realized then how much I had yet to learn. Yet despite vast differences in language, culture, and belief, I had come to an understanding about the common bonds of humanity and the need to empathize with someone that saw the world in a completely different way. These are the lessons that stay with you and that benefit you regardless of your career or field of study.
Study abroad is within the reach of every student at this university. Whether you are looking to travel for just a summer, a semester, or a full year, the staff of the study abroad office will help you to find a program that fits. Even a month abroad can affect you more than you could imagine, and we are lucky to be students at a university that understands and values those benefits. While it is true that study abroad is typically more expensive than comparable time in Fayetteville, the university and federal government provide considerable amounts of money each year to offset the cost. The opportunity is there. The scholarships are there. All you have to do is make that first step. Visit the Study Abroad Office on Maple and start exploring!
Read the full article by Andrew on the Arkansas Traveler
To Do List
Study Abroad Scholarships
It’s never too early to start scouting scholarships!
If you’re interested in studying abroad during the upcoming year, check out the scholarships on our website so you’ll have a heads up on the application deadlines! There are a plethora of scholarships that are available; have a look at the ones we know of here: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/students/scholarships.php. There are many more as well so be sure to do your research!
Apply for Your Passport:
Now is a great time to locate your birth certificate and submit a passport application. You can find instructions on how to apply using the following link: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html.
Get Connected! #HogsAbroad
Stay in the loop with U of A students while they’re abroad! Students who are studying abroad will be posting throughout the summer, so be sure to check-in and see what’s going on. You can look for our hashtag, #HogsAbroad all over social media, to see more news and posts from students studying abroad!
