While many Americans are keen on getting into top-ranked universities here in the United States, many young adults are now studying abroad. There is a misconception committed by Americans that the only good colleges in the world are here in America. However, there are plenty of good colleges outside of our borders, such as Oxford University and The University of Barcelona, which also happen to be a couple of the oldest universities in the world, with Oxford being the oldest English-speaking university in the world. 

Many American students choose to study abroad, even if only for a semester, in hopes of gaining different perspectives and to broaden their horizons about the world, not just education.

There are several benefits to studying abroad. You can learn about different cultures, and see how they compare to your own. You can take these opportunities as a chance to travel and see the rest of the world. You can take a step back and experience the world through the lens of a different culture and see America from a different point of view. And, most usefully, you can learn a new language while studying abroad.

Now, all of that is well and good, but there is more to studying abroad than getting to travel. If you’re like me, the idea of studying abroad is very scary because I’m very close with my family. I can’t bear the thought of being too far away from them.  Studying abroad is better in the long run than in the short run.

“I studied abroad in Rome, Italy, for two months,” provides Hayley Twigg, a 2011 Carolina Forest alumnae. “There are many benefits from studying abroad.” From going out of your comfort zone, meeting new people, being a minority, and realizing that there is more to the world outside of your bubble.  It wasn’t very hard to adjust to the change because most Italians speak English.”

Many jobs are looking to employ people who are teachable, adaptable, and who can speak more than one language. If you are able to bring different international perspectives to your place of work, it will have a positive impact on your repertoire and you could be highly favored by your employer. 

Studying abroad, however, can be very expensive. Some people cannot afford to go to college here in America, how can the average person afford to study abroad for four years?

There are options to get around the financial obstacle. Take College of Charleston. There are plenty of options for overseas studies, ranging from being one semester to all four years. You would pay the tuition to attend College of Charleston, and pay an additional fee of about $6,400. This fee covers your round-trip plane ticket, meals, international medical insurance, international student ID, entrances to museums and study sites. So, for a small additional fee, your opportunity to study abroad becomes more accessible to the average college student. 

If you choose to attend an international university for all four years, it won’t be as expensive as you may think. For example, the average cost per year to attend Duke University is a little over $81,488. This, in my opinion, is an astronomical number. However, if an American decides to attend Oxford University for four years, they will pay about $37,909 to $53,118 per year, with some additional hidden fees. 

It’s important to keep an open mind when considering your education opportunities in the later years of your lives. Getting an amazing education across the pond isn’t as hard as it’s cracked up to be and should be seriously considered.