Destination USA: Study abroad, it’s an enriching experience

Starting your degree is an exciting time. I remember it was even more exciting for me: I wasn’t just going to university, I was moving to another country. When I arrived in England from the United States in 2004, I was the only American undergraduate in my year and subject. There were a few other […]

Starting your degree is an exciting time. I remember it was even more exciting for me: I wasn’t just going to university, I was moving to another country. When I arrived in England from the United States in 2004, I was the only American undergraduate in my year and subject. There were a few other foreign students, but they all had lived in the UK for years.

Initially, I worried what I’d say to my British peers since our backgrounds were so different, but it quickly became clear that they were enthusiastic to learn about my childhood in another country and what I thought of England – did I like the food? Why would I want to move somewhere so cold and rainy? I have never had such an easy start with a group of new people, and it gave me a perspective on my homeland I would otherwise have missed.

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That perspective and that “broadening of horizons” is what makes me so happy I did my degree abroad. Thinking about the United States from across an ocean made me think hard about what it meant to be an American and why my country was the way it was. I was also the only “American friend” many of my British classmates had. Ultimately, my time serving as an unpaid “cultural diplomat” heavily influenced my decision to join the US Foreign Service and practice diplomacy as a profession.

I went looking for the best education for my field, but a bachelor’s degree is so much more than the knowledge you acquire. My friends from university live all over the world and navigating one new culture has helped me navigate others. You can have that same experience by studying in the United States. Not only will you get an excellent education, you’ll be a de facto ambassador for India to the hundreds of Americans you’ll meet along the way. And that’s a win-win situation for everyone.

— Will, US Consulate General Hyderabad