Studying abroad is a great way to earn credits while living and experiencing life in the Mediterranean. It brings with it opportunities to expand your mind and have new, enriching experiences and adventures. The act of traveling and changing your environment can have many positive effects, enhancing your education. Thinking in different ways, immersing yourself in new cultures, and gaining a fresh perspective can all help build new connections in your brain. Your mind will be stimulated, which can provide you with a boost in energy and well-being.
You may be surprised by how new perspectives can influence the way you approach your courses. When you expose yourself to points of view and outlooks that are different from your own, you develop your critical thinking skills. Being placed in a brand new cultural environment is a quick way to jump into seeing the world through different eyes. When you approach an assignment or a class in your study abroad program, you will now have an added ability to look at things through multiple lenses. This helps you get the most out of your education – and it isn’t hard to find motivation! There are plenty of places where art, history, and day-to-day life in Rome can be accessed right around campus.
University is an exciting, stimulating time – you have classes and subjects that excite and motivate you, a busy schedule, and lots of new people to meet, with great conversations to be had. In any campus environment, this would be the case. But when you choose to spend time studying overseas, you add to this greatly. It’s no secret that there is plenty to do in Rome. You will see, hear, smell, touch, and taste new things and discover what it’s like to live in Italy.
When you are excited about your surroundings, you will always have something to look forward to or be curious about. It can be hard to keep energy levels up while balancing a course load, but with the travel and exploration opportunities that surround you in Rome, you’ll receive constant boosts that will make you more alert, dedicated, and capable in your studies. You will only have to look out the window to see something you aren’t used to, making it easier to enthusiastically apply yourself to your classes for success.
If you choose to study Italian at John Cabot, you may find that the opportunity to use new words while out and about allows you to build concrete connections that help you remember more of what you learn. This is just one of the many ways your environment can help you with your studies. When you force your brain to learn new things by experiencing new cultures and speaking new languages, you strengthen and build your neural connections.
Having more and stronger connections in your brain helps you with focus and agility in your studies. It also makes you a more well-rounded thinker, so when you look at problems or questions on your tests, you may have additional mental tools to process them. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to new environments or activities. Studying abroad lets you take advantage of your new environment as it pushes you out of your comfort zone and stimulates neurons.
Are you comparing colleges in Rome to find one that’s right for you?
Contact John Cabot University to learn more about our study abroad sessions.