This article is featured in the 2024 Freshman special issue.
In my piece for last year’s Freshman special issue, my advice was open-ended. I encouraged incoming ’27s to listen carefully to the guidance they were about to receive from trip leaders, orientation leaders and other upperclassmen mentors. I acknowledged that much of the advice might seem cliché, but I emphasized the value in paying attention, as their words often carry the weight of experience.
This year, my advice is more straightforward: go abroad.
The summer after my freshman year, I had the opportunity to study Arabic in Morocco through a language study abroad program. My freshman summer in North Africa was not just a crash course in language acquisition — it also became a cornerstone of my Dartmouth experience. The program allowed me to immerse myself in a new culture, venture beyond my comfort zone and encounter new perspectives. Whether it was finding a group of strangers to play soccer with every week or spending a night roaming the streets of Tangier after missing the last train, I taught myself how to navigate novel, unknown places. I cannot stress enough how transformative it is to step off campus and explore a new place, even for 10 short weeks.
While there is immense value in spending time in Hanover — forming lasting relationships with professors and classmates, participating in campus activities and soaking in Dartmouth’s unique atmosphere — the College also offers opportunities to venture beyond the United States. Studying abroad provides a broader educational experience, one that expands your worldview and enriches your understanding of your place in the world.
Even if you’re unable to find a study abroad program that fits your schedule or interests, I strongly encourage you to seek out foreign-based work opportunities during your off terms. During my sophomore winter, I spent my off term interning in Colombia, which allowed me to apply my Spanish skills in a professional setting and immerse myself in a country that, despite warnings from friends and family, turned out to be incredibly enriching.
Going abroad as a Dartmouth student offers a unique opportunity to break down the stereotypes we often hear about a country or its people. While we can develop certain expectations within the classroom, experiencing life outside those academic boundaries is the only way to genuinely understand the dimensions of our studies. Immersing yourself in another culture allows you to break down preconceptions and appreciate the complexities of the world in a way that simply isn’t possible through textbooks or lectures. We might have been taught that the United States was seen as a goal for immigrants, yet some of my conversations in Rabat, Morocco told a different story. One night after my usual round of soccer, a young child came up to me asking to play. The conversation transitioned into him telling me that he didn’t feel safe in America and his family ultimately decided to move back to Morocco. Just hours earlier, we had concluded in the classroom that the United States is a hope for many — yet here I was being refuted by a Moroccan child in real time.
These experiences can not only broaden your horizons but also cultivate a more nuanced understanding of the world. For me, the excitement of going abroad wasn’t just about immersing myself in a new culture. It was also essential to gaining a fresh perspective on my own identity as an American. Living abroad gives you the distance needed to make more objective judgments about where you come from. It allows you to shift your reference points, offering a new lens through which to view and critique your own culture. These changes can transform how you respond to new experiences, re-aligning your view of your home country and allowing you to have a more objective perspective of your environment.
While it can be tempting to merely stay inside the familiarities of the Dartmouth bubble throughout your four years, I firmly believe in the pricelessness of learning away from campus. It can be as simple as figuring out how to manage your time in an unfamiliar city or as complex as navigating cultural differences in a professional environment. Trust me, I’ve done both.
How often in life after college will you get the chance to spend 10 weeks living completely alone in a new city, let alone a new country? These kinds of experiences are rare and precious, providing a level of personal and intellectual growth that stays with you long after the term ends. Opportunities like these are exactly the kind that college is made for. The ability to adapt, to learn from those around you and to see the world from a new perspective is an invaluable part of your education.
So, whether through a study abroad program or an off-term internship, make the most of the opportunities Dartmouth provides and explore beyond America’s borders. Foreign experiences will not only enhance your education — they will also help you develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the world and where you call home. They will undoubtedly become some of the most memorable and transformative parts of your Dartmouth journey.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
