Think Your Major Doesn't Justify a Study Abroad Trip? Think Again.

1. Communications

    There is no doubt that studying abroad will teach you how to communicate. Regardless of what communications track you’re studying, from media, to corporate, to digital, to business- there are plenty of communications classes in study abroad programs to choose from. You’ll get to travel and learn how to communicate BETTER, with an entirely different range of people from all over the world. That kind of experience just isn’t found in a classroom. 

2. Art/Art History

    If you’re an art major and don’t know the copious amount of famous art that you’ll be able to see in person overseas, then you should take one more semester to grasp that, and then absolutely study abroad. The amount of history and art that can be found all over Europe is breathtaking. Study in Paris and visit The Lourve, study in Rome and see the Sistine Chapel, study in Barcelona and visit the Sagrada Familia, and the list goes on. Architecture is also a huge part of both art and history that is widely accessible in study abroad programs. Being able to study and live right in the heart of ancient art is true art itself. 

3. Business

    Just like communications, there’s a huge variety of business classes in most study abroad programs that are available for you to enroll in. Studying how foreign countries not only conduct business, but approach it, view it, and present it would be a an extremely useful experience and a nice advantage to have if you ever plan on starting your own business. Why not study abroad and learn not just the way of business in your home country, but business on a worldwide scale?

4. A Language

    If you’re a Spanish major, tu es loco if you think that studying in Spain, or one of many other Spanish speaking countries isn't a fantastic opportunity for you. Studying in a country that has a primary language other than your first language is not only a great challenge for your mind, but it can help teach you an entire second language to put on your resume! Studying a language is very different in the classroom then it is in real life, so why not dive right in and pick up a specific dialect in your second language and perfect your bilingual skills. 

5. Education

    If you’re studying to become a teacher, it’s a no-brainer to study abroad and see firsthand how teachers in another country teach? In order to teach, you have to be able to learn. Although there might not be a plethora of education courses in the country you have your heart set on studying, there are many different courses to choose from that can also be beneficial for future teachers. Courses like public speaking, history, business, and communications can all relate back to teaching in a way. Imagine taking an opportunity to visit a grade school in a foreign country, or sit down with a local professor abroad and get advice on how to become the best teacher you can be, and that’s all the reason you need to study abroad. 

6. Finance

    Many people wonder how you could study numbers and math while abroad, but the answer is very simple. They have numbers all over the world, don’t they? Not to mention finances, specifically. Learning how to manage money and advise on monetary situations is a skill that is needed all over the world, and learning the approach and tactics that foreign countries use to do so would be very beneficial in having extra experience under your belt for the day when you have a difficult task to tackle at your future job. And like education, many other courses can apply to finance in the long run.

If you think your major just isn’t one that justifies studying abroad, I hope you think again. Regardless of where you are on your path to graduation, sitting down with a guidance counselor to look over your academic plan is always a good thing to do, and talking to them about studying abroad and how it would fit in to your schedule to keep you on track to graduate is much easier than you think. Studying abroad is an incredible experience that not everyone is lucky enough to do, so if you have ever dreamt about going abroad, or even just thought it might be nice, visit your school’s study abroad office and browse a few booklets. You might be surprised to find that your major can benefit by studying abroad.