She has lived in Belmont, California her entire life.
She knows how to dress for warm weather, how to deal with a drought, and how to get all the way from the edge of Belmont to the edge of San Carlos.
However, when it comes to other countries or cultures, her knowledge is limited to what she has seen on the Internet.
“I’ve never even been outside of the country,” said sophomore Lauren Bazigian. “I’ve only seen pictures and videos of other places, but I haven’t actually experienced the different cultures for myself.”
As students grow older, many find that they are curious about the world outside of their community and seek opportunities to explore it.
For some, this curiosity is fulfilled by joining a program to study abroad.
Many colleges and high schools offer these study abroad programs in which the students take a quarter or semester off of school and go on an educational trip to another country. On these trips, they have the opportunity to study in classes of their choice that are led by teachers from the foreign country.
The experience of studying abroad as a whole can bring the benefit of maturity as it is a big step for many students and is often the first time that they learn to be truly self-sufficient.
Carlmont alumni Lauren Meier, who studied abroad for a semester of her junior year in high school said, “I feel that I became more mature and gained a wider perspective of the world. Studying abroad in high school gave me an early opportunity to learn how to be responsible for myself and not to rely on my parents.”
However, some students find that the few negative effects of studying abroad are too large to overlook at such a young age.
Junior Kara Sun looked into a program at Carlmont called Amigos, which is very similar to many study abroad programs. However, for various reasons, Sun decided not to go on the trip.
“I wasn’t exactly sure if I wanted to go on the trip in the first place because the projects that they do just weren’t what I was looking for. It would have cost a lot of money and taken up a lot of my time for something that I wasn’t super passionate about. I decided that I’d rather wait to find a trip that’s better-suited to me,” said Sun.
Like many things in life, it is up to each person to measure the benefits and downsides of studying abroad and to decide whether it is a good fit for their situation.
For example, Meier saw many of the same issues as Sun, but decided that the experience of living abroad was worth it.
“I definitely think that the benefits outweighed the costs on all fronts, for my situation. The thousands of dollars in monetary costs as well as the many sentimental costs like missing family birthdays, my new puppy, and my junior prom were all made up for by the insight that I gained through my study abroad trip,” said Meier. “I know that I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t spent so much time abroad and I definitely wouldn’t have found my love for traveling.”
Study abroad programs in high school and college have the ability to teach students many things about both themselves and the world around them. However, many find that if they are unable to take a trip across the world, they can still learn about other cultures in a second-hand way by taking classes and getting detailed descriptions from people who have visited those places.
“It’s really important to learn about other cultures and languages in any way possible. It broadens your point of view and it makes you really appreciate the things that make everyone different,” said sophomore Alice Snelling, who housed two study abroad students her freshman year at Carlmont.
The Highlander, May 2016
She knows how to dress for warm weather, how to deal with a drought, and how to get all the way from the edge of Belmont to the edge of San Carlos.
However, when it comes to other countries or cultures, her knowledge is limited to what she has seen on the Internet.
“I’ve never even been outside of the country,” said sophomore Lauren Bazigian. “I’ve only seen pictures and videos of other places, but I haven’t actually experienced the different cultures for myself.”
As students grow older, many find that they are curious about the world outside of their community and seek opportunities to explore it.
For some, this curiosity is fulfilled by joining a program to study abroad.
Many colleges and high schools offer these study abroad programs in which the students take a quarter or semester off of school and go on an educational trip to another country. On these trips, they have the opportunity to study in classes of their choice that are led by teachers from the foreign country.
The experience of studying abroad as a whole can bring the benefit of maturity as it is a big step for many students and is often the first time that they learn to be truly self-sufficient.
Carlmont alumni Lauren Meier, who studied abroad for a semester of her junior year in high school said, “I feel that I became more mature and gained a wider perspective of the world. Studying abroad in high school gave me an early opportunity to learn how to be responsible for myself and not to rely on my parents.”
However, some students find that the few negative effects of studying abroad are too large to overlook at such a young age.
Junior Kara Sun looked into a program at Carlmont called Amigos, which is very similar to many study abroad programs. However, for various reasons, Sun decided not to go on the trip.
“I wasn’t exactly sure if I wanted to go on the trip in the first place because the projects that they do just weren’t what I was looking for. It would have cost a lot of money and taken up a lot of my time for something that I wasn’t super passionate about. I decided that I’d rather wait to find a trip that’s better-suited to me,” said Sun.
Like many things in life, it is up to each person to measure the benefits and downsides of studying abroad and to decide whether it is a good fit for their situation.
For example, Meier saw many of the same issues as Sun, but decided that the experience of living abroad was worth it.
“I definitely think that the benefits outweighed the costs on all fronts, for my situation. The thousands of dollars in monetary costs as well as the many sentimental costs like missing family birthdays, my new puppy, and my junior prom were all made up for by the insight that I gained through my study abroad trip,” said Meier. “I know that I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t spent so much time abroad and I definitely wouldn’t have found my love for traveling.”
Study abroad programs in high school and college have the ability to teach students many things about both themselves and the world around them. However, many find that if they are unable to take a trip across the world, they can still learn about other cultures in a second-hand way by taking classes and getting detailed descriptions from people who have visited those places.
“It’s really important to learn about other cultures and languages in any way possible. It broadens your point of view and it makes you really appreciate the things that make everyone different,” said sophomore Alice Snelling, who housed two study abroad students her freshman year at Carlmont.
The Highlander, May 2016