Whenever I thought about studying abroad, it had always been the goal to do it for a year. My reasoning was that I wanted to be as fluent as possible in Spanish and to integrate myself as much as I could into a new culture. I think most people decide to just go for a semester of study abroad, which is done for a lot of reasons. First of all, they may only be able to do a semester because they have to fulfill certain requirements at their colleges. Second, people just don’t want to leave their lives at home for too long of a time and that is totally valid. Also, students might have real responsibilities at home that don’t allow them to be gone for a whole academic year.

I think when you are able to go for a year, however, you should do it. Personally I got a much deeper experience of the culture by staying for a year. There were of course difficulties from being there a year. Almost everyone I knew ran out of their savings by the end of the year, even those who thought they were budgeting well. Things happened at home that I missed out on and I was away from most of my family and friends for nine months. But I definitely would stay for a year if I could do it again. Continue reading →