5 Reasons Why English Majors Should Study Abroad

By Francine Fluetsch on March 25, 2016

Calling all English majors: this article is for you! Do you have any interest at all in studying abroad? If you’re going back and forth in the decision making process, or need a little help convincing your parents, here are five reasons why studying abroad will not only be a wonderful experience, but will also benefit your degree and heighten your job chances.

1) Bilingual abilities

Most English majors are required to take a year of a foreign language to meet their degree requirements, so why not fulfill this in another country that actually speaks the language? Studying the language where it is constantly being spoken is your best bet at becoming fluent faster, and actually learning the common slang spoken by people who live there.

If you would rather have some basis in the language before you go, take the year requirement at your American school and then head over somewhere where they speak the language fluently. Your basis in the language will allow your vocab to grow at a rapid pace, and constantly hearing the language and attempting to speak it will allow you to become bilingual in no time! They key for this to work is to hang out with people who don’t speak English, or who agree not to speak English with you unless you really need it. If you have no way out, your brain will adapt and you’ll pick up the language on a survival basis.

Why is this beneficial? Well first of all, the year of a language requirement will actually have a purpose! You also will have a higher chance at landing jobs because bilingual people have an edge over people who only know English. Get in the game while you can. Also, learning another language forces you to concentrate on it at a grammatical level, unconsciously aiding your perception of English along the way, resulting in you becoming a better English major.

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2) Inspiration

If you’ve ever had writer’s block, you know how frustrating it is to just sit at the computer, hoping for the words to miraculously appear on the page. Studying abroad will be the change of scenery you need to get those creative juices flowing! You’ll have so many sights to see, so many people to meet, that you will find your fingers aren’t going fast enough for you to get all of your thoughts down. Studying abroad means being in a new environment, figuring things out on your own, making new friends and having new experiences — thus giving you inspiration to carry with you for the rest of your life.

3) Connections

Meeting new people abroad that are in your field gives you a wider variety of connections. Get close to as many people as you can, students and professors alike. This way, you will have tons of pen pal connections to keep practicing the language even when you have to go back to the states; a connection for housing if you ever want to visit again (make sure to offer them the same if they ever find themselves in the states); and a connection that could help you land your dream job abroad. Adventure is out there, and if your dream is to be writing abroad for a fancy Paris magazine or teaching English in Germany, or whatever it may be, make sure to use your time there to network so you’ll be able to leave with a handful of good contacts.

Also, friends you make abroad are friends for life, and even if you don’t see them very often, they will always hold a special place in your heart. They will be able to give you personal insight to their way of living, their culture, their views of things, and hearing and witnessing all of this will help you become a more open, well-rounded person.

4) Determination

Depending on where you study abroad, you are going to get different reactions to being an English major. Some countries really value the arts, and the students there will embrace your major and encourage you to keep going. Other countries might think what you are studying is silly, and might tell you as such, but this will be determination for you to keep going, to see the opportunity that you are given in the states and to value it. A new experience into a different way of living and learning is going to give you the determination to keep going with where you want to go with your literature degree.

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5) Get out of your shell

We English majors are, more or less, introverts, so studying abroad is the perfect way to get out of your shell! Write down a list of crazy things you want to do while you are abroad, things you could only do in another country, like climbing up the Eiffel Tower or sleeping in a youth hostel or dancing on the Great Wall of China. When you are abroad, you can be anyone, so let your inner adventurous self come out and have a blast. Not knowing anyone will also force you to work on your people skills, which will always come in handy.

These are just a few reasons why studying abroad will change your life for the better. Go sign up, right now!

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