For many college students, the thought of studying abroad seems like an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity. To be able to study and live in a different country for several months is a fanciful dream, and allows many students to travel who would not have the chance otherwise. Some students would go as far to say that their time abroad was the highlight of their college years. Tamara Litt, a recent graduate from SUNY New Paltz says that her semester in Milan “was the greatest experience of [her] life.” For several years, I myself was fantasizing about my semester abroad. As the time to do so drew nearer, however, I began to second-guess it and eventually made the decision to not go abroad.
Three years ago, as I was finishing up high school, my mind was overflowing with thoughts on what was to come during the next four years. I was already accepted into several colleges and was waiting to hear back from several more. I had no idea where I was going to go to school, but I was certain where I was going to be three years from then: strolling the narrow cobblestone streets of some European city. I’d be eating authentic Italian pizza or Spanish tapas regularly, drinking real English tea at local cafes, reading books on balconies overlooking the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben, and best of all, every weekend I’d be adventuring to another city, town, or country. I’d take dozens of pictures and eat more food and drink more tea and wine. Maybe I’d be immersing myself in a new language too. The possibilities were endless. The anticipation was endless.
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As a college freshman, I clung onto the fantasy of studying abroad. I took comfort in the fact that I had the opportunity to do it, but I didn’t have to start preparing for at least another two or so years. Adjusting to college was enough for me to deal with at the time, and I was glad that my time abroad wasn’t right around the corner. It wasn’t until the second semester of my sophomore year that I began to second-guess my wanting to go.
After going to an information session and meeting with my college’s study abroad adviser, I began to get cold feet. I was still enthralled with the idea of living in Europe for an extended period of time, but as the dream got closer and closer to becoming a legitimate possibility I began to think about things that had never occurred to me before. Four months away suddenly felt like four years away. I began to question if I was ready to be on my own in a completely different country. I then began to think about the money. Even if I did a program through my college and paid the same amount of tuition I would have if I were still on campus, I’d still be blasting through my savings in airfare, additional traveling, food, and shopping.
I then began to stress over what would happen when I came back to school. Where would I live? How would my credits transfer? How would I register for classes? Would I miss out on a lot of great memories with my friends? All of my nerves and uncertainties escalated and bunched up in my head and I couldn’t do it. I felt more secure staying at Bard all eight semesters of my college life. I wanted to take advantage of everything the school had to offer, and to stay with my friends and stay in an environment I was familiar and comfortable with. "I have the rest of my life to travel," I told myself.
Maybe I did play it safe. Maybe I did miss out on a fantastic opportunity. Sometimes I feel like I made a mistake in not doing it, as I have felt a few times while writing this piece. As much as I have and will continue to question my decision-making, I can confidently say that the time I would have spent abroad was well spent here in upstate New York. I made some new friends the past few months that I would not have met if I were eating crepes somewhere in Paris. I took classes I might not have been able to take at Oxford or Edinburgh. I made memories that I would not have made elsewhere.
I’m now saving up and plan on hopefully doing a big Euro-trip with some of my friends after we graduate next spring, and, with the exception of classes, will do everything and see everything I would have been able to, had I studied abroad. But honestly, who really wants to go to class when they’re traveling?
