By Megan Powers | Multimedia Journalist
Studying abroad is not a decision that you can take too lightly. It’s the decision of how much you want to miss. Are you willing to go for an entire semester? I was one of the people that thought about the idea of leaving for a semester and could not do it. The idea of “FOMO,” or the fear of missing out, was something that plagued me. Could I actually do it and miss football season? Or could I miss the spring at Baylor?
There were so many potentials or “missing” things that I could not see myself choosing to skip out on. It is simple things like roommate dinners, meetings for clubs and Greek life. Walking past Pat Neff Hall, going to the Bill Daniel Student Center to get Chick-fil-A or going to the new Common Grounds and getting to see friendly faces walking around campus.
It was a hard reality at first when I realized I was not the type of student to go abroad for a semester. Growing up, I was the kid that said I was going to study abroad at every opportunity that I could and travel the world, but getting to Baylor and finding my home here put a snag in that plan. I still loved to travel but did not want to miss a single memory that could happen during those short four years that happen at Baylor University.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a huge supporter of people studying abroad and admire and encourage the people that do. It is an incredible adventure that I know students will enjoy every single second of each experience.
For those of you that are trying to decide whether or not to study abroad, there are definitely some questions to consider. First at the top of the list is how long do you want to be gone? Are you wanting to go for a semester or a summer abroad? There is such a challenge with that decision, because life continues on whether you are at Baylor or abroad. Would you be okay with that?
What about the possibility of having another winning football season or missing it slowly turn to autumn on campus? What about missing spring at Baylor with All-University Sing and the number of students that get their “ring by spring”?
If you can go through those questions and give yourself a true answer to all of them, you know what’s right for you. Honestly, studying abroad is one of the best experiences that I have had at Baylor and encourage you to do the same. Put yourself outside of your comfort zone and go live life. Enjoy the time you can freely explore. There are so many incredible opportunities out there to further your knowledge of the world and experiencing other cultures is part of that. Take some time, do some adventuring on the Baylor study abroad website, and maybe you will find the right fit and adventure for you. I know I did with Baylor Great Britain.
