Benefits of Studying Abroad

While some people just see the opportunity to ''Study Abroad'' as an excuse to travel to an expensive destination and party, there are actually an abundant amount of benefits that come along with it. It is common for some people, and their parents, to be skeptical about sending themselves or their child to another country, but with a little bit of research that mindset can easily be swayed.
For example, when I was first making my decision to study abroad, I was planning on going to Barcelona, and I was nervous that I was going for the wrong reasons, and so were my parents. In fact, we were both right. I was not intending on ''studying'' abroad in Barcelona. I wanted to go because that is where a majority of my friends were choosing to go, as well as the fact that Barcelona and the countries surrounding it are well known party countries. While there is nothing wrong with that, I felt that the opportunity to study abroad was much more than just about the night life. I wanted to explore, to learn, and to grow. So I began to do my research and reach out for help.
I came across this article- http://www.internationalstudent.com/study-abroad/guide/ten-benefits-to-studying-abroad/.
This article lists the 10 benefits of studying abroad. They are as follows:
1. See the world 2. Education (which most people tend to forget is what you're initially studying abroad for). 3. Take in a new culture. 4. Hone your language skills. 5. Career opportunities. 6. Find new interests. 7. Make lifelong friends. 8. Personal development 9. Grad school admissions 10. Life experience.

Thanks to internationalstudent.com I came to my senses and I believe that a lot of students can benefit from articles like these. There are a bunch all over the internet and there are always plenty of advisors to be reached out to.

Studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity with so many personal benefits that go unnoticed sometimes. While it may not be for everyone, for the people it is for it can be a completely life changing experience and can allow you to grow to greater extents than you could possibly imagine.
Studying abroad is also another way for you to step out of your comfort zone and attempt things that you never thought you would be able to.

Pushing Myself to My Greatest Abilities

Change and Growth

Like I spoke about in my last blog post, I am spending my next semester studying abroad in Australia to pursue my dreams and passions of photography and videography as well as pursuing my desire for travel and new beginnings. Up until this year I did not understand all of the factors that come along with ''studying abroad''. I just thought of it as a process of applying, getting accepted, and going. But thankfully, I learned that there is a lot more to it.

At first my family was not too sure if they wanted me to go to Australia, being that it is across the country. I had endless hour-long conversations back and forth with my parents of me begging them allow me to go, and them expressing to me about how bad they want me to experience this, but how nervous they are because of how far away they would be. I knew that this meant that I had to exceed their levels in trust and show them that I was prepared to pick up and go across the world for a semester. Also at the time, my GPA was not at the required standard to go to through the program I wanted to for Australia. I knew it was go time. It was time to get my act together, stop getting myself into trouble, and focus on my grades and my overall growth and transition into becoming an adult.

I had unfortunately gotten into two incidents over last semester and over this summer that decreased the trust my parents had in me. It was a hard time to deal with, but I knew that I had to make up for it. To this day, I am still working on achieving 100% trust from them, so that they can be calm and comfortable when I make my way to Australia. 

Once I got in trouble in the summer, my mom said word for word ''If you want to go to Australia, YOU are going to make this happen.'' And that is what I did. 

I can't lie, I have always been lucky enough to have such amazing and supportive parents who are always there every step of the way. But when I saw how concerned my mother was with my recent reactions, I knew it was time for a change. I changed my attitude, I changed my mindset, and I got myself on the path I knew I was supposed to be on. This semester I have been focusing on school more than I ever have, not only for my parents to agree to let me go to Australia, but to prove to myself that I am better than what I have previously made myself out to be.

I immediately got in contact on the phone with John Yocum after he reached out to me, who is one of the advisers for the TEAN program from studying abroad in Australia. I explained my situation with my GPA, and explained to him that I have been diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder since 8th grade and how I plan on working as hard as I can to meet the requirement. He said that he would work with me every step of the way to ensure that I had this opportunity because he could hear the drive and passion in my voice. 

. It pushed me to realize that I have great potential, and that I can not allow everything to be handed to me so easily. 

This is yet another experience that has shown me that my dream in life is to inspire others to never give up. Looking back to freshman year, Australia would have never been an option. But I am thankful to say that I got my head back on my shoulders and pushed myself to the place I know I am supposed to be. 

When I arrive in the beautiful place of Australia, and begin to travel to places such as Indonesia, Thailand, Fiji, and so many more, I only hope to continue to learn, grow, and inspire. 

Addressing My Future

     As it slowly begins to hit me that I am already in my first semester as a junior at Penn State, I am starting to realize that my dream of studying abroad in Australia spring semester is about to be coming true. Most of my friends, and most people at Penn State who go abroad, typically go to the more common travel destination spots such as Barcelona and Prague. When I say that I am going to be studying in Australia, most people's jaws drop to the floor. At first I was a little skeptical as well. Australia certainly isn't just around the corner. But this is what I want to do, and if my heart is telling me to do something then I must follow through. I aspire to spend the rest of my life as a photojournalist with the opportunity to see the world through my own eyes as well as the lens of my camera. I believe that my life will truly begin once I begin my journey studying at the University of New South Whales. I am a firm believer in following your heart and your gut, and I have a very strong feeling that going to Australia is something that I am truly destined to be doing. I hope that by going to such a majestic and unique place, that my photography and videography talent will excessively increase due to the beautiful nature and beautiful people and experiences I will be surrounding myself with. I could not be more excited to begin this new chapter of my life, and I feel it in my soul that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. Penn State has given me everything I could possibly ask for, and I did not think it could even get any better than the experiences this school has given me. But to now know that I will be fulfilling my dream and making my way to Australia, my entire heart is at peace and I can not wait to see what the future holds for me.