Imagine strolling through old streets, ordering coffee in a different language and making international friends. 

Studying abroad is more than just learning on vacation, it’s about broadening your perspectives and stepping outside of your comfort zone.

USF students should study abroad through USF World’s Education Abroad. Study abroad programs help students grow, break boundaries, crush stereotypes, all while experiencing a trip they’ll never forget. 

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“For me it was an absolutely transformative decision and experience. It shaped me as a person,” said Elena Efremova, program developer for USF Education Abroad. “When I came back to Russia a year later, I was absolutely different.” 

Efremova was 19 years old and in Russia when she applied for a study abroad program in the U.S. She studied at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania for a year and after catching the travel bug, which eventually led to her international career, ended up in Tampa. 

Studying abroad helps shape our worldview by exposing ourselves to different cultures. 

“It is definitely good in terms of widening your perspective of the world,” said Haileigh Radney, a junior studio art major, who went to Florence over the summer. “It definitely showed me that I could be a little more trusting.” 

Radney got a lot of advice from people she knew warning her about certain precautions she should take when in Italy, like holding on to your belongings and trying to act like a local. 

People also warned her that the people would be mean. Luckily, she didn’t find that to be the case, as the locals were nice to her. The trip surpassed her expectations of the environment and people. 

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The only way you can truly value connecting cultures and people is to travel yourself and experience it firsthand. That’s when your perspective may change about a certain topic or stereotype. 

“We were growing in an environment that was full of stereotypes and misperceptions,” Efremova said. “And the chance to actually go and see for yourself and make your own conclusions is invaluable.”

It’s more than just different perspectives that develop over trips around the world.

“Studying abroad gave me a sense of independence and a sense of self that I feel like I hadn’t recognized before,” Naomi Matos said, a senior majoring in environmental science and policy who studied in Florence last summer. 

This experience can also teach you life skills that you can use beyond the classroom, like independence. Traveling abroad is a great way to test our financial management, communicative and problem-solving skills.

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Matos had to go to the bank, post office and doctor, all of whom did not speak English.

In an age where many people are looking for self-discovery, studying abroad may be the perfect way to find closure about the parts of yourself that are still unknown. 

Studying abroad does cost a pretty penny. The Paris Semester program estimated its cost to be $18,000, while the Paris Summer program is an estimated $6,000. 

Luckily, there is a sleuth of scholarships you can apply to. Financial aid is another option for qualifying students. 

“Money will always come back, but an opportunity like this is once in a lifetime,” said Sofia-Liani Mejias, a junior criminology student who studied abroad in the Netherlands.  

For all these reasons, consider studying abroad. And don’t take my word for it. 

“I think if I could do it again, I would,” Radney said. 

Some notable study abroad programs are USF in Florence for the summer and USF in London during the summer. Several programs are offered in the spring semester for Spain. A semester in Greece and South Korea is offered year-round. 

If you are interested in studying abroad, go check out USF World’s Program Discovery.