It’s your junior year and you’ve gotten most of your core credits out of the way. It’s something you’ve been mulling over for a while, and a lot of your friends have already taken the plunge of studying abroad for a semester. Spending three months or more in a foreign country can be an intimidating step to take, but it’s guaranteed to be a life-changing experience that you’ll be glad you did. If you need some more convincing, here are the top ten reasons to consider studying abroad.

1. Get out of your comfort zone. Living in a different country will force you to be independent and resourceful in a way that staying home won’t. Not only will your time abroad seem like an adventure, but you’ll take these skills back home with you.
2. Make new friends. It goes without saying that you can never have too many friends, and studying abroad gives you a wider pool to choose from, with local and international students in addition to expats from your own neck of the woods.
3. Reinvent yourself. Becoming involved with a new crowd can be the opportunity you need to break free of social expectations and constraints at your old school. Whether it’s a new style or a different set of interests, you may find you like the change.
4. Travel the world. If you’re studying in any European country, you’ll be shocked to find how cheap and easy it is to travel between countries. Weekend jaunt to Paris, anyone?
5. Try new foods. No matter where you end up living, you will be introduced to unique and flavorsome cuisine, as well as new ways of ordering familiar food and drink. So be sure you get someone to teach you how to cook them.

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6. See your home country from a new perspective. You’ll get plenty of new ideas on things you’re grateful for and things that can be improved in your home country. It will also give you a genuine view of how the world views you and your compatriots.
7. Get fit. Seeing as you won’t have your car with you, you’ll be walking and bussing it to most places, and you’ll be surprised at how easy it becomes. Plenty of European cities have initiatives to become more bike-friendly as well, so a used bicycle for a semester may be a good investment.
8. Make everyone you left behind jealous. You’ll get plenty of comments of people “living vicariously through you,” and you can rest assured that your Facebook photo albums will be the talk of your home campus.
9. Put it on your resume. Lots of companies are looking for dynamic employees who aren’t afraid of new experiences. Seeing that you’ve lived abroad may make your resume stand out from the pile of other recent graduates in your field.
10. Learn a new language. Putting past language classes to good use can be an exciting and fulfilling experience, and as with #9, employers are eager to snatch up people with foreign language skills. So don’t just sit there—get your application in the mail and get on your way to an exciting, life-changing three months!

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Anna writes on behalf Language Trainers, a language learning service providing classes to corporations and individuals. Check out their website, as well as their extensive supply of free online resources at www.languagetrainers.com.