In an increasingly competitive and global world, how do we make ourselves stand out?
The answer to this question is one word. Well two words, actually. Study abroad.
Back in the day when our parents’ generation was searching for jobs, a college education made you stand out. Now, a bachelor’s degree is the standard, and companies are looking for someone with a more competitive advantage.
Yes, you can add another major, minor, certificate or even a master’s, but what does that extra “fluff” really say about you as a person?
In high school, after doing a summer program with a friend in Seville, Spain, I made up my mind that one of my college semesters would be spent in a foreign country. Why? Because I love to travel, learn about new cultures and hey, who doesn’t want to be able to say they spent half a year living half way across the world?
It wasn’t until I returned home to the U.S., after spending my spring semester last year in Madrid, that I truly understood the magnitude of what I just accomplished.
Firstly, I chose to study in Spain because I wanted to bring home with me more than just an experience, I wanted to bring home a language. It is easy to get caught up in making new American friends, so I made a conscious effort to take classes taught strictly in Spanish. I always spoke Spanish in restaurants, while shopping and when we went out at night. I bought Harry Potter in Spanish, although I admit I never finished the whole book, and set my Facebook and my computer’s default language to Spanish. You won’t become fluent without immersing yourself fully.
I knew before I left that having the ability to put a second language down on my resume would make me a more marketable candidate in the current job market. It is the following aspects of my five-month study abroad experience that make me stand out and will also make you stand out if you study abroad during your college career.
1. Interpersonal skills — Though I have always been outgoing, studying abroad literally drops you off in a country where you know very few people and you may not be comfortable with the native language. During your time abroad, you are forced to communicate with people you’ve never met before. You learn to connect with people of different cultures and different backgrounds. Let’s face it, how can you be nervous speaking to recruiters and giving presentations in English when you spent five months connecting with people in a foreign language?
2. Adaptability — Being thrown into an environment that operates differently than what you are used to teaches you to adapt quickly to new situations. Living in Spain, where restaurants don’t open for dinner until 9 p.m. and stores close down from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., definitely forces you to become resourceful.
3. Independence — And you thought going away to college made you independent? Just wait until you’re across the world, far away from everyone who has ever told you how you should live your life; then you’ll really understand what it means to be independent.
4. Other skills — Living abroad helps you develop and perfect many other skills that will also differentiate you from your peers in areas like time management and resource management. You also sharpen your analytical skills and develop your own standards for making decisions.
As Lucy DiLeo, assistant director for international programs at UF’s Heavener School of Business, said, "Studying abroad is an important component of a college education. It helps college students expand their education and give them a new perspective on the world. By spending a semester living and learning as a student in another country, students are able to learn about other cultures, and by comparison learn more about their own culture and themselves as future global citizens.”
Many students have a misconception that due to their major, there is no time to study abroad. If you plan ahead, and choose your program wisely, there is a study abroad option for everyone. Especially at the University of Florida, with advisers such as Lucy DiLeo who specialize in sending in students abroad, students can find the best fit for their needs.
Every student who has the opportunity to study abroad during a semester of college should take it without hesitation. There is no better time to do it. Dare to be different and you will stand out. Though the trip may only last a few months, the skills, experiences and memories you bring home with you will last a lifetime.
Haley Doloboff is currently a Master of Science in Management student at the Hough Graduate School of Business. She's a UF alumni.
