If you are headed to college, or still in college, and you have not considered studying abroad…

Now is the time to start.

Studying hard and landing an internship are vital steps toward future career success – and studying abroad falls right in line with them.

Whether you spend a few weeks in Thailand or a month in Japan – you are sure to gain valuable experience from your time abroad:

1. You will get to see the world.

   The biggest benefit to studying abroad is the opportunity to see the world – you will have the chance to experience a new country, a new culture, and incredible new customs and activities.

2. You will have the opportunity to network.

   As you interact with those that are also in the program – both from your school and in the courses, you take while studying abroad, you will have the opportunity to network with an entirely new group of people.

3. You will become a more diverse person.

   As you experience new foods, new customs, and a new language you will become more diverse. Studying abroad opens your mind up to entirely new ways of thinking as you experience the different walks of life.

4. You will hone your language skills.

   You will most likely learn some of the native languages ahead of time, however, while studying abroad and using the language regularly you will improve your fluency with it.

   Practicing the language in its native setting is also a great way to learn slang and other parts of the language that are not taught in a basic overview of it.

5. You improve your graduate school application.

   Graduate school admissions boards look very highly on study abroad experiences. To them, this experience demonstrates a student’s diversity and their ability to adapt to new situations.

6. You will enhance your personal development.

   Studying abroad has a tendency to really bring out the independent nature of students. It can help bring out the curiosity that you already harbor.

7. You will find new interests.

   There are plenty of activities and hobbies that are common in other countries that you might not even know anything about. However, as you are exposed to these throughout your time studying abroad you might find that you have a few new interests.

8. You will open up more career opportunities.

   Like graduate admissions boards, employers also look highly upon the experience of studying abroad.

   Between the new perspective on culture and language skills, a better education, and an obvious willingness to learn, you will become very attractive to future employers.

9. You will become more involved with the world.

   It is important in the professional world to have some understanding of other countries and continents. As technology improves, we find ourselves frequently working with those from other parts of the world.

   You will become an asset to a company as you are aware of the culture and norms of another part of the world.

10. You will improve your project management and decision-making skills.

    While studying abroad, you will be thrown into a variety of different scenarios. You have to consider how the additional activities will affect the rest of your day and how much they will cost.

    By giving you access to a variety of different things, you are forced to practice time management and sound decision-making skills to ensure you make the best decisions timewise and moneywise.

Overall, the experience of studying abroad will not only enhance your personal life but it will make you more marketable in your future career field.