Far and away

OXFORD, U.K. -- This year, I join the ranks of that elusive breed of college student, the ghost group that has the same -- ahem -- privilege of logging into OneStart and Webmail with IU usernames and IU pride. But new students at IU would be hard-pressed to say I actually attend the school, were it not for my Hoosier Facebook account\nI'm a junior on her year abroad. For those who are addicted to Bloomington's college-town charm, have thrown themselves into IU's extracurriculars or who have met a group of kindred spirits during their first two years at IU, leaving for even a semester seems impossible. So why have I, one of the 1,600 IU students that do so, opted out of IU life in favor of the great unknown? My own motivations are a mix of more factors than there are countries. \nIU offers study abroad programs in more than 80 parts of the world, and there are easily that many study abroad programs outside of IU that accept qualified students from any U.S. university. \nSome students hop a plane to another country to take advantage of a freedom that may have a shelf life. For many, college years are the last ones where at least one of our jobs is to learn as much as possible. Our parents and society not only allow but expect college students to ask questions about the world. While digging up the answers of other people, hopefully we'll unearth a few of our own. \nOther students travel in order to seek out an expertise or quality of education that can't be found in their home institutions. This may be a new idea to those who are used to hundreds of thousands of students flocking to the United States to take advantage of our higher education institutes. But there's truth in the foreign language education mantra that there's no substitute for immersion in the target language and culture. Before spending the past summer in India, I lacked confidence in my ability to make the appropriate comment at the appropriate time in Hindi. After weeks of bumbling, I felt I had finally gained the willingness to cheerfully embarrass myself at any given moment. Luckily, language improvement accompanied the embarrassment. Other schools, like the London School of Economics, and some music conservatories in cities like Vienna offer an alternative, international perspective to fields in which IU excels. \nI admit that one of my main motivations for taking a year to study abroad is the prospect of adventure. I want to satisfy what right now seems like an insatiable curiosity about the world. By looking at myself through as many mirrors as possible, I hope eventually to be able to piece together the mosaic of reflections that compose my desires, ambitions and myself. Unless you plan on making international travel a part of your career choice, college may be the only time you are actively encouraged to seek out another world. It may open a door to new languages, religions and world views that never has to close again