I was lost after finishing my bachelor's degree. I knew I wanted "out" of academia, and its bubble-like, library-centred existence; I knew I wanted to be IN the world, interacting with people, issues and solutions; I knew I needed at least a little bit of money in order to live my most impactful life; I had no idea where to start.

Studying abroad is a dream for many students from all corners of the world. Studying in another country can have a lot of benefits, can offer many life experiences, and can simply be a lot of fun. From getting to know different cultures and gaining valuable foreign, international experience in relevant fields to making new friends, you name it. It is an essential part of learning a new language. Nothing beats practice when it comes to true, applicable knowledge. Studying abroad does come with its own set of responsibilities and considerations. The very thought of spending years in a foreign setting can be quite uncomfortable and jarring for many. One needs to think very carefully before making this big life-changing step. It means deliberately putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. Maturity, patience, and dealing well under pressure are necessary traits to have. Let’s cover some of the basic questions one has to ask him or herself when contemplating studying abroad. The answers to these questions, which we will try to extrapolate, will give us a better understanding if this is truly the best step we can take.

On the 7th of May, 43 participants from Denmark, Palestine, Latvia, Lithuania, Armenia, UK, Georgia, and Jordan all met for some of the most memorable and educational days of our lives.

It broke my heart. A 13 year old. So intelligent and full of inquisitive questions. This boy, however, he was not going to fulfil his obvious shining potential. Why? He lives in Ghana. A place where he does not have the opportunity to do what I did, that I did not even think twice about: I applied to study at the University of Oxford. I took it for granted. How I could just apply to the most prestigious institution in the world. I sat there clicking away, filling in my application on my laptop.

For the past two weeks of my summer, I had the opportunity to fly to Laos, a country on the other side of the world in Southeast Asia. I was a volunteer in a village called Sop Chem, or better known as, a home away from home. I was able to wake up every morning to go teach English to advanced teen students. Those students didn't need me to teach them, I wasn't giving them my "help." I was there because those students' eyes lit up at the thought of gaining more knowledge. They wanted to learn. Those students were intelligent when I got there, and they were intelligent when I left. I was there because learning brought them excitement. Sop Chem has an extremely strong community that would be flourishing with or without us. But, when our volunteer organization sat down, and asked the village what we could do with them, rather than for them, it not only created a bond, but it also allowed us to take measures to introduce sustainability to this community.

After extensive research on what it is like to live as an exchange student in Vancouver, I came to the conclusion that surprisingly, given that we are in the social media era, not many secondary students talk about their exchange experiences here. So following what some suggested to me, I will tell the world what my past eight months in Vancouver have been like.

Around 983 Billion people on Earth speak English. More people speak English as their second language, than native speakers, so the number of English speakers account for around 20 percent of the population of the world, you may ask if it is so widely spoken, why would I have to learn a new language if 1 in 10 people speak English? That question can easily be answered. Here are a few reasons why you should learn a second, or a third, language now:

There is much to consider if you are thinking of studying abroad in law school. All students need to do a realistic cost-benefit analysis before you study abroad at law school and pay special attention to how it helps or hurts your future career prospects.

ITC was started in 2014 with the intention of providing students in the Memphis community a chance to see what else the world has to offer. I started it after working in an inner city school that only made the news when negative things happened in the community.

Statistics show that American universities and colleges have a collective international students’ population of more than a million. On the flip side, thousands of American students are relocating abroad in pursuit of higher education. This phenomenon forms the base for the discussion: Is studying abroad is better than studying locally? If it is, which are its benefits particularly to one’s career?

Multilingual and Philanthropic Inc. is an organization striving to allow students across America to have access to a quality foreign language education. This effort is in hope these students will become more culturally accepting and open up numerous career opportunities on a global scale, but also be able to connect with others on a human level with those who may not speak English.