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Study Abroad

When I was 18, I moved to Spain and attended the public Universitat de Barcelona. A private company facilitated many of the basics, but it was pretty much all me the rest of the way. Today, I saw this article exploring the standardization and increased popularity of study abroad programs for American undergraduate students. Still today, as a Senior at the University of Washington, it is impressive how much the University pushes students to undertake foreign study, or for that matter, domestic study (state tuition compacts, study exchange). But is it really study abroad to pay your normal school tuition or more, live in american managed islands/sanctuaries in a foreign place, and attend classes in english?

Honestly, I didn’t work that hard at school during my year abroad - apparently some do, some don’t. I thought it funny that on the second page of the nyt article, they mentioned half the students failing in a spanish university. All that aside, I’d just like to say that no matter, do as much as you can when you’re abroad. Get away from what you know and relax with all that newness.