Why you should go on a year abroad

By Cher Morente, Singapore Management University, Singapore

Debating on whether to study abroad? Here’s why you should, coming from someone who just spent 10 months across the other side of the world and would do it again in a heart beat.

Studying abroad has always been written in the books as it had been a goal of mine since I can remember so I made sure to do everything I could to make it happen; from choosing a degree with an integrated study abroad to networking with previous exchanges to supplement my overseas university choice.

At first, my intention was solely for the purpose of travel to satisfy my itch of seeing the world. So, I had no expectations and refused to believe others when they said it was going to be the best year of university. Safe to say that they were right. Maybe I would even go as far as saying it was the best year of my life (thus far) as I’m unsure if anything can top this.

Tired from Manchester’s gloomy scenery, my certainty about utilising and pouring all my time into travelling remained unchanged. That was until I connected with others. While I obviously wanted to meet new people and form friendships, I did not expect to build relationships as deep as the ones I had formed. Finding such genuine connections so far away from home is rare, especially for me as I am someone who takes a long time to warm up to others. And while it was only for a short amount of time, I will cherish them and the memories we had made the most, as they made my exchange better than I expected it to be. They were the ones that made Singapore a home away from home. Their company gave me a new perspective on friendship, and its means to sustain it, that I will carry with me forever.

Furthermore, I grew comfortable in Manchester with my routine and my circle but being surrounded by open-minded people from different degree backgrounds, I was exposed to various perspectives and topics that motivated me to be educated on. Because of this, I became closer to the version of myself that I wished to be.

This year has been filled with so much growth and opportunities that opened doors for me. It has given me time to mature further, learn more about myself and the world; which ultimately gave me confidence, security and clarity in what I want in life, the person I want to be and how I can achieve it. Looking back at the person I was at the beginning of exchange to now, I am a completely different person in the best way possible. I have become more outgoing, relaxed and physically & mentally present.

The experiences I have had, good and bad, in and out of Singapore, has helped shaped the person I am today as I am now a mosaic of everyone I have met, fleeting or not. Which made me realise the importance and power of relationships in both a professional and personal sense. The cultural awareness I have developed from travelling is immense which transcends into knowledge that remains useful for my field of study – business.

Subsequently, not only is it an amazing year full of making memories while learning from a respected institution that serves as an additional qualification to your CV making you stand out from other candidates but it also build upon your skills that employers value such as organisational, communication and team working; of which you can quantify using your personal experiences. Particularly, studying at SMU has helped me with this, with the way they have articulated their courses to make students proactive and apply their knowledge to real life situations albeit at work or personal.

Because of this, I highly encourage you to take that step and apply to study abroad! You’ll only regret what you didn’t do and not what you did do.