Why every communication student needs to study abroad (including you!)
I studied abroad as a communication student in Geneva, Switzerland in 2023.
And needless to say, it changed my life.
Studying abroad taught me many life lessons, including how to succeed in my future career in communications.
Here’s what I learned from studying abroad and why every comms student needs to study abroad too!
Why every communication student needs to study abroad (including you!)
Studying abroad is an intercultural communication course x1000
Going abroad will quickly teach you that the rest of the world may not communicate the same way you do.
*cue the importance of intercultural communication*
If you’re studying in a country that doesn’t speak the same language as you, you’ll learn really quickly how important communication is in your everyday life.
Even if you study somewhere where they do speak the same language as you, you’ll realize how culture changes how people talk, even if you speak the same language.
Comms&Me Storytime: as a Canadian who lived abroad in Switzerland, I spent many late nights with my British and Australian friends talking about all the differences in the way we talk, even though we all spoke English.
I learned that:
…only Canadians call it a “washroom”
…Australians will find a way to shorten every single word in the English language
…Brits say “You alright?” as a greeting
You’ll learn what dreams matter to you
I’ve noticed that most communications students (including me) have a long list of goals and dreams.
Our bucket lists are basically the length of a billboard. We wanna sample so many different lifestyles and places, and most of all, we just want to experience everything that life has to offer.
If this sounds like you, then you should DEFINITELY study abroad.
As a comms student who wants to “do-it-all”, studying abroad will help you start to feed that craving, and more importantly:
“Studying abroad will teach you which of your dreams matter most to you.”
You might learn that finding a way to incorporate travel into your future career is essential for you.
You might learn that you want a job that keeps you close to your family in your hometown.
You might learn that whether you value routine or excitement.
So, studying abroad will give you a glimpse into what matters most to you and will also light a fire in you to start achieving those dreams.
You’ll learn how you behave under pressure
Communications students often learn about “crisis communication” in their communication courses and how companies deal with major crises.
Study abroad will basically be your own personal crisis communication course.
Living and studying in a new country will always come with its set of challenges, and it’ll teach you how to respond to crises in your own life.
Learning how you behave under pressure will help you in your future career like in job interviews, high-stress roles and projects, meetings, and so much more.
Have I convinced you to study abroad yet?
I truly believe that every student should try living/studying abroad at some point in their life. Let me know in the comments where you’d like to study abroad!