Study abroad: Weighing the costs of adventure

Each year, hundreds of Wellesley students disperse to all corners of the globe to explore new places, meet new people, and experience new cultures. As women constantly being reminded of our responsibility to make a difference in the world, it is understandable that nearly half the junior class decides to leave Wellesley each year and experience the world through travel.

Wellesley is proud of the number of students that participate in international study and promotes the value of their experiences within the context of the liberal arts education. Students who elect to spend their junior year abroad are viewed positively by the administration, faculty, and student body. Their experiences are celebrated in the classroom, in admissions brochures, and at the Tanner Conference.

Students who choose to stay on campus their junior year, however, are often questioned for their decisions. Those who elect not to go abroad are constantly asked why they made the decisions they made and may even find themselves questioning their decisions. As their inboxes are filled with their friends’ email updates of their adventures traveling and partying in foreign countries (school seems to be mysteriously absent from their updates), students still at Wellesley try to suppress their jealousy while working on a seemingly endless number of papers, problem sets, and lab reports.

While Wellesley students who remain on campus may feel left out from the worldly peer’s experiences, not studying abroad has it advantages. Staying at Wellesley means staying in one of the most academically rich cities in the world. Students who stay have infinite opportunities to immerse themselves in their studies at Wellesley and take advantage of the cross-registration programs that Wellesley has to offer. Students who choose to stay at Wellesley can get off campus and experience a new academic setting by attending class at MIT, Olin, Babson, and Brandeis.

Students who choose to stay on campus during their junior year also experience Wellesley in a completely different way. With their closest friends abroad, students are challenged to make new friends or strengthen existing friendships. It’s not uncommon for students to join new clubs or discover new passions during their junior year. Students who choose to stay are changed by their experiences, even if the setting itself has not changed.

Study abroad is an invaluable experience—there is no denying this fact—but our time at Wellesley is limited. The world will be waiting for you after graduation. Take advantage of what Wellesley has to offer you right now. You may be surprised by what you find.

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