By immersing yourself in another culture, you develop valuable life skills needed for personal growth, including independence and adaptability. These skills can give you an added boost of confidence in your personal and professional life.
Studying abroad can be overwhelming, but the challenges you overcome can help you become a more mature person. You’ll find out that you can often thrive in new, unexpected circumstances, and you’ll boost your communication skills by speaking a new language—helping you further improve your self-confidence.
“It’s a great opportunity to work on cultural competencies, like being sensitive to other cultures, learning how to adapt to new situations, and tolerating ambiguity,” Lombardi says. “These skills are important to almost any job.”
Quickly adapting to your new environment will hone your self-reliance and resilience. From small tasks, like going to the doctor, to larger issues, like learning how to negotiate with a professor or adapt to a different culture’s management styles, your daily life can help you become a more capable person.
Studying abroad can also help you gain more confidence by improving certain skills that help you connect with others, such as:
• Leadership: Strong leadership and team management skills are important in almost any environment. Knowing how to lead and inspire the people around you can help you establish stronger relationships, whether you’re working on a class project with a group of international students or completing an internship abroad.
• Communication Skills: Strong written, public speaking, and negotiation skills are important to communicating effectively, particularly in an unfamiliar environment like a new country.
• Cross-Cultural Awareness: Our experiences, values, and cultural backgrounds guide our viewpoints and actions. Studying abroad reminds you to be cognizant of others’ perspectives. Remember that what is considered appropriate in one culture can be inappropriate in another.
