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In today’s highly competitive professional field, students are constantly looking for experiences that will put them over the top of employers’ expectations.
Studying abroad is an excellent example of a valuable experience that will draw employers’ attention and help solidify an interview.

Having participated in two UW Oshkosh study abroad experiences myself, Quest III in Ireland and a London Honors program, I can promise the benefits of studying abroad are well worth the cost.

I continue to keep in contact with many people I met in my travels. I am even friends on Facebook with a well-known Irish painter and am connected on LinkedIn with another well-connected professional with whom I worked on my trip.

Travel companions make excellent professional contacts because they have the opportunity to get to know you in a unique setting, often under somewhat stressful circumstances, that allows them to be great references and speak on your ability to handle unfamiliar situations.

Studying abroad, especially with UWO’s semester or interim trips, also provides an opportunity to get to know a faculty member or professor. This is beneficial throughout college and into the professional world.

Many professors have multiple contacts in both their field and related fields and are especially willing to provide references for students who have traveled with them. They are also typically much more easy-going when traveling abroad, so it is an excellent opportunity to develop a reference outside of a stiff classroom setting.

I still keep in contact with the professors and fellow students I traveled with and am constantly informed of many potentially beneficial opportunities for networking and building a résumé.

Because of my experience in Ireland, I have been offered the opportunity to run a booth at the Milwaukee Irish Fest last summer speaking about the community service work with ancestry we did for our class.

The multitude of opportunities and connections that stem from a study abroad experience help make students ideal candidates to employers and make it truly worthwhile.

The best time to travel is as a young adult. Once students join the workforce, there will be very little time to have unique exploratory experiences such as studying abroad. Money is often a problem for students, but there are plenty of scholarships, grants and loans to go around, and the people in the study abroad office are happy to help students find a way to participate.

Trips can be as short as a three-week interim or as long as a year. You can even go to another school within the U.S. if you want to, for the same cost as UWO.

Don’t let excuses hold you back; there will always be a reason to say no. Let me give you one reason to say yes, the only one you need: it is 100 percent worth the effort. So head to the study abroad office on the second floor of Dempsey and plan your adventure. You will only regret it if you don’t.