When I thought about studying abroad this semester, I did so because I had minimal idea of what I wanted to do following graduation in spring; I talked about this feeling of aimlessness in a previous post . I felt like I had learned a lot during my time as an undergraduate, but there was so much more for me to do with so little time. By now, I have completed my internship and gained a lot of hands-on experience in the field of migration, but I still find myself wondering about what else is out there for me. So last week as I missed my bus to Florence (don’t worry it was only €4), I decided to do what I do best and take a walk around the neighborhood. Funnily enough I just so happened to be up the street from a graduate school I have been looking into for a few months. I decided to take myself on a campus tour and see if I could imagine myself pursuing my master’s degree there. Not only was the campus beautiful, but I found posters of classes that piqued my interest almost immediately.
I was able to talk to students and faculty about the courses offered and was even told that I could sit in on a few if I would like. While this whole thing only took me about an hour, things begin to crystallize for me. My time at JNRC highlighted what I wanted to focus my future study and research on. This tour showed me that I would be able to pursue those things in a graduate school abroad. Not only did the coursework peak, my interest, but I also found that this school as well as others were a fraction of the price and time of a graduate school in America. I have already begun working on my application for admission. Without studying and living abroad for this time I don’t think that I would have had the confidence to pursue a graduate program outside of the United States. These things seem daunting until you do it and my time in Rome has shown me that I am more than capable of living and thriving independently. And while there are always difficulties and learning curves, I hope that my posts over the semester have instilled an excitement in my peers to pursue education abroad.
