“Wait you’re studying abroad second semester of your senior year?” “How?” “Why?” The list of questions I keep getting goes on and on since I announced my plan. I decided just weeks before my senior year was set to begin that I would change my major to study abroad one more time. It is unorthodox but my entire college path has been anything but ordinary. I started out by transferring after one semester. I have studied abroad twice through programs which my home university did not approve of. It has been a wild ride, not anything like I imagined, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Through the process of making my decision I have realized that studying abroad for your last semester of school is the absolute best time to do it!

My first reason is that studying abroad is expensive! Instead of trying to replenish my savings with a summer job before heading back to campus, I will be earning a real salary when the program ends with a full time job. Economically it makes sense to study abroad with a true income on the horizon.

My second reason is that studying abroad teaches you how to maintain a work life balance. While in a new country you want to see as much as possible or maximize your location by traveling on the weekends, all while maintaining school work. This pushes you to learn the skill of balance which will be put to good use just months after the program ends.

My third reason is that this may be your last chance to live in a foreign country. Depending on your career path, this may be the last time you would even be able to live outside the United States. Why would you not want to soak up as many experiences as possible?

The final reason that lead me to study abroad my last semester is because I was happiest when I was abroad. That was the last time I felt most alive. So I’m going back to chase that feeling...and I hope I find it. I have always loved the adventure that comes with living in a new country and the diverse experiences that come along with it. So, I might seem crazy but who isn't?!