Alexandria Larsen
Prof. Whiteacre
ENG 103-60
10 October 2012
Study Abroad Problem Essay
Everyone has a dream to travel the world and discover him or herself. Unfortunately, these dreams are often unfulfilled because people are simply too lazy, lack the funds or are unexposed to the opportunity. Being privileged with a college that supplies an abundance of opportunities is a blessing that not everyone is gifted with. Having the chance to travel the world has been an interest of mine since I was a kid. It is important morally and academically to broaden my learning experience and to be connected not only in my community, but also to the world that sustains us.
I became interested in studying abroad many years ago when my dad sat my brother and I down and showed us a slide show of his adventures around the world. He began his ventures when he enrolled in the international guard. The program offered him a copilot navigation position and he began flying planes around the globe weekly. I grew up hearing these outrageous stories about his voyages and that is when my own dreams began to soar. I wanted to be just like my dad, and travel to all the interesting places that did, I also wanted to work with animals, and I needed to figure out how to get enrolled in studying abroad and what programs would suit my interests. Luckily my two desires can potentially go hand in hand. I knew that studying abroad was the answer to my dreams, but I didn’t know how to go about studying abroad through Ball States’ Program. This question became my problem and I needed to find the answers to the questions that it raised; like what countries can I study in? When is a good time to begin studying abroad? How much does it cost? Will it conflict with my major? How beneficial is it to my academic career?
All of these questions became intriguing to me. I was eager to find the answers. I knew that it entailed a lot and was going to be a lot of work, but to me it would be worth it, and...