Studying abroad allows yourself to grow in many different ways. The experience empowers you and makes you feel more confident in yourself and how you act in the everyday world. Confidence is key to success. Encountering unfamiliar situations, such as you regularly find in a new environment, and then learning to deal with them calls for confidence and at the same time builds confidence.

Study Abroad situations which help Build Confidence

Forced To Make Friends – As you’re in a host country you leave your friends and family behind. Studying abroad forces you to make new friends, something you may not have had to do much at home, since most of your friends have been part of your life since childhood or school. This experience will not only improve your communication skills but will make you confident about forming new friendships.

Talk To Strangers –  You will find yourself approaching strangers for directions, making small talk on a train or in a line waiting to go into a movie, things like that.  Americans are very forthcoming and like to chat to people around them.  This may feel uncomfortable at first but as you spend more time in the place it will come naturally to you, and in fact you miss that ease of idle chatter with strangers when you return home!

Being Independent – Study abroad makes you more independent. The more independent you feel the more your confidence grows. You will do more for yourself while in a host country, like cooking, cleaning, paying bills, or using self-discipline to study.  All this will boost your confidence, and make you want to challenge yourself just that extra little bit harder.

New challenges – Another way you will gain confidence is by experiencing new challenges. This may be something as simple as catching interconnecting buses or driving a car for the first time in a foreign country. Exposing yourself to new challenges on a regular basis will really increase your confidence a lot.

Confidence is key, and by believing in yourself you can really do anything your heart desires.