6 Ways to Reflect on Your Experiences Abroad
“Studying abroad changes you.
It is a transformative experience — a catalyst for personal growth, shedding inhibitions, and exploration. It is a not-so-gentle shove into the vastness of our world and exposes you to the interconnectedness of people, of humanity.
It’s a full-credit course in self-confidence, autonomy, tolerating ambiguity, and life skills.
It is, in fact, the core curriculum you always wish you enrolled in, with learning outcomes that propel you toward life and career success.
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To achieve [a valuable] level of depth and resonance, you need to build space for reflection into your program.
Reflection empowers critical thinking, encourages self-exploration, serves as a creative outlet, and when done correctly, injects academic learning into the mix.
Reflection can be both an individual and a group process. Many means of reflection can be enhanced when we share our learning with others, while others foster the most growth when done alone.
I recommend a blend of the two. A curriculum that mixes the two will cater to students who may prefer one or the other, and challenge them to learn in new ways. They will learn to articulate thoughts and experience to others, as well hone their inner voice by transcribing their narrative.
