Why Study Abroad?

I’ve always had the itch to travel and explore. Ever since I was young, I loved exploring new places and trying new things. When I began looking at colleges, I looked for schools with excellent study abroad opportunities, and Penn State was one of them! Whether you know which country you want to explore or not, the study abroad fair is a great place to start learning about programs.

The first step in any study abroad experience is planning! I met with my engineering major’s study abroad advisor as well as my academic advisor in order to see what I could take abroad. I also had to see what program best fit my needs. I knew I had always wanted to visit England and with the Penn State study abroad website I could easily narrow down all the program options. I applied in the spring and was accepted that summer! My program was IES: Study London. My program allowed me to take classes at a learning center with students from all over the country and my classes had incorporated field trips to learn and see different parts of London. For example, I was able to take a history class and instead of hearing a lecture on how medieval London was protected, we went and saw the medieval towers and learned how they were built.

Why I enjoyed everything I learned in the classroom, the best part of study abroad was what I learned outside of it. I learned how to sleep in a hostel with 12 strangers who in a weekend become friends. I learned how to dry my hair without outlets in any bathroom. I learned that iced coffee is hard to find and that you don’t refrigerate eggs. But, I learned how to live in a new country, how to adapt and be flexible to new cultural norms and how to travel while balancing classes. I met amazing friends and traveled to some of the most beautiful places! Study abroad can be challenging at times, but it is worth every obstacle because it helps mold you and shape you. It causes you to handle situations differently and to see other views and opinions. It gives you the opportunity to expand your boundaries beyond what you ever thought you were capable of. People will tell you study abroad will change you and I have to say they are right. But it will change you for the better and allow you to bring a new ideas home to share with your Penn State family. So though it may be scary, or you don’t think it will fit in the engineering schedule give it a try because for me it was worth every life changing minute. 

Sarah Markel is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering and is a Mentor for WEPO'16!