“Home may be where the heart is, but the voyage of self-discovery lies outdoors.”
The best decision I made in college was non-academic. It was choosing to study abroad at the American University of Paris (AUP). Regarding its campus, it was unique in that there wasn’t one. With a little less than 1000 students, there was no need for a centralized ‘campus’ in the American sense. The university rented buildings dotting around the center of Paris, the most unique one being a former church of which they made little renovations.
It felt out-of-place having class in a church; it reminded me of my Sunday sermons in childhood where you sometimes daydream and forget where you are for a moment, only now I awake to find myself in Paris.
Founded in 1962, AUP is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe. Regarding the curriculum, I don’t remember much from attending my classes. What has left an indelible imprint are my nights out roaming the streets of Paris and my backpacking trips to countries like Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.
Looking back upon my years in college, if I could re-do it — or give advice to teenagers — I would strongly recommend two things: One, go far. College is about adventure and new experiences so don’t choose a university that is nearby. Go far. Two, study abroad. And do it more than once.
In your early 20s, you’re at the pinnacle of youth — at that age where you’re now old enough to make your own decisions, yet still young enough where you’re free to make mistakes without much derision. There’s a statement that resonates with me, something along the lines of failing yourself forward. But you can only fail if you avail yourself to new experiences. So go far.
In many ways, though the periods were brief, my summer spent at UC Berkeley when I was 16 and my fall spent in Paris when I was 20 were much more of a collegiate experience than my four years spent at UC Irvine. Since I only lived a 20-minute drive away from Irvine, I was, in essence, exposed to very little new in my undergraduate education, to which I think ultimately stunted my development compared to how much I’ve grown in my travels.
As someone who has been an international nomad for six years now, I can confidently say that the person I am today is far different in his perspective and understanding of the world than the teenage version of me born and raised in Orange County.
It’s one thing to know the world is big from glancing at a map or perusing a globe, it’s an entirely different thing to go out and actually experience that vastness yourself. While some are in dismay that there are no ‘new worlds’ to explore, my response is what difference does it make to you if you’ve never been there? To you, it will feel new because it is new.
“Home may be where the heart is, but the voyage of self-discovery lies outdoors.”
So go far and stay long. You will never return home the same person. You’ll gain a much more fundamental education, far more important than that of history or culture, you’ll discover who you are.