Everyone’s heard the news that our world is becoming globalized, but how does this affect you and your education?

Understanding other cultures is becoming increasingly essential to being a competent person these days. Since communicating with people of other nations is commonplace in everyday work, learning what is acceptable and offensive in other cultures is vital.

The best way to learn about another culture is to experience it. Books, web sites and people can give you an idea of what a culture is like, but you have to live in their world to truly understand another society’s beliefs.

So what can you do to increase your knowledge about new cultures? The answer is simple: study abroad.

Studying abroad allows you to escape from the obligations of every day school activities while learning practical information inside and outside the classroom and having fun. Not to mention, traveling all over the world to places you may never have heard of ain’t half bad.

Not only is studying abroad an eye-opening experience, but the majority of your peers are participating in these same excursions, which means it is quickly becoming the norm.

Studying abroad is not something that makes you stand out anymore, but rather something that is expected. To put it bluntly: if you don’t study abroad, you’ll be at a disadvantage when you start applying for internships and jobs.

But the empowering feeling of accomplishment after conquering the challenges of living in a foreign country is reason enough to spend time overseas. If you can survive living in a non-English-speaking country, then you can do anything.

Good, bad and scary–you’ll learn from all of your experiences and look back with laughter at things that seemed horrific at the time. So maybe waking up to a giant spider crawling across the wall next to your bed wasn’t the best way to start your first morning in an unexplored place…but it makes a great story.

So where is this pitch to participate in SMU’s study abroad program coming from? Today the study abroad office will host its Abroad Open House from 5 to 7 p.m. on the first floor of the Blanton Building. SMU has done an excellent job of expanding the number of programs in the last few years to allow more students to take advantage of the often life-changing experience that studying abroad offers.

There are over 20 programs to choose from with varying lengths to fit your schedule across four continents. SMU will work with you if money is an issue. With assistance and options like this, there’s no reason for anyone not to study abroad.

Fish and chips in England anyone? Want to see the pyramids in Egypt? How about a hyggeligt dinner in Copenhagen? You can make it happen. The first step is going to Blanton tonight.