...all of my previous experiences in Paris could not prepare me for the one I had at Reid Hall – a place that opened a vast world of history, thought, and cultural life to which I was, until that point, little more than a doting outsider.
Returning to Paris from Cannes, I was distinctly aware that I would never have another experience like this one. Truth be told, my entire time spent at Reid Hall was full of adventures as extraordinary as this one, full of people and places that changed me for the better.
When I left Paris, beyond the joy I felt for the great memories I took with me, I also recognized that I had gained a set of tools I can now use to solve problems in the future.
The type of housing you select may have a significant impact on your experience abroad, and each has its own benefits and drawbacks.
My BCGS study abroad experience paved the way for my return the following summer to work as an EMGIP fellow in the German parliament and my graduate studies at the London School of Economics in European Politics.
I am grateful to BCGS, as the year I spent in Berlin has academically and socially prepared my life after college.
It was BCGS that built my confidence to live and work in Germany permanently after graduation.
"I think the most impactful experiences for me were those in which I didn’t just learn about a culture, a tradition, history, politics, or language, but actually encountered them and experienced them outside the classroom."
"Spending a year abroad at Oxford certainly taught me a lot not just about my major, but about myself and my identity."
BCGS was a challenge in all the best ways possible. We were pushed outside our comfort zones, but the triumph and sense of accomplishment we felt afterwards, was perhaps the most rewarding part of all.
If you want to make studying abroad a thought-provoking experience, I encourage you to keep track of every little culture shock as well!
Spending time in Athens, Nafplio, and the island of Syros, I was able to delve deeper into my academic passion of Art History, while also learning about other disciplines, and gaining new friendships and cultural understanding.
"Only being there for a semester, I was prepared to do things I would have been too afraid of doing at Columbia."
Studying abroad allowed me to gain insights on issues that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise – through seeing things I that otherwise wouldn’t have.
Study abroad provided me with the mechanism to not only enrich my language learning experience, and my understanding of the world, but also to rediscover some of the hidden beauty in everyday life.
What I study at Columbia is completely different than most of what I was studying in Kenya, but it didn’t matter.
My fears were replaced with pure excitement and anticipation of all that I would then see and do over the next six months.