Why You Should Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Study Abroad
Written by Drew December 14, 2015
I figured I'd dedicate the photo portion of this final post to my favorite pictures of the semester ... Enjoy!
The Colosseum.
The Vatican.
Oktoberfest.
F.C. Barcelona game.
Brandenburg Gate.
Manneken Pis.
Ah … my final blog post. It’s been a heck of a semester, right guys?
I want to begin by saying thank you to everyone who followed my blog posts and shared them throughout the semester. It truly means a lot to me, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to share my experience with you guys.
I will now follow up that message with the theme of my final post: Getting out of your comfort zone.
Surprisingly, I am someone who despises getting out of my comfort zone. I hate change. I enjoy routines. You wouldn’t expect that from someone who likes to travel as much as I do, huh? But I do. I truly do.
Before deciding to study abroad, I already had the script written for my senior year of college. I had a phenomenal internship with the athletic department. I was involved in several amazing groups on campus. I had my friends. I had my city. I knew for a fact that I was going to have an amazing semester if I stayed at the University of Iowa.
Then, I decided to throw my routine out the window and study abroad my senior year of college. And, yes, it was extremely difficult to get out of the routine.
Was it hard? Yes. Did I miss my friends and family? Yes. Did I miss the routine and familiarity of being a student at the University of Iowa? Yes. Yes, I did. But I was forced to get out of my comfort by studying abroad and I don’t regret it for a second.
Now you probably think that there is no way you can study abroad. You’re too involved. You can’t leave work. You can’t be away from your friends and family. There’s an overwhelming sense of comfort at your home university. I get it. I get it all.
Listen: You can do it.
I do hate clichés, but I do find a lot of truth in the notion that you start to live the moment you step out of your comfort zone. By studying abroad, you’re going to be outside your comfort zone. It’s going to be uncomfortable going to a new university with complete strangers in a destination thousands of miles away from home. But … you can do it. And let me tell you something: It will be one of the best decisions of your life. I guarantee it.
So go. Get out of your comfort zone. Go explore the world.
You can do it.
Blogger: Drew, The University of Iowa
