1. The majority of graduates describe it as the best year of their degree course.
2. If you are studying while you’re abroad you have the opportunity to study new subjects not available to you at your home university.
3. You can practice, develop and hone your language skills so that you find your final year a lot more manageable.
4. When you travel, people think from your accent that you are from your year abroad city, which is great for your self-confidence.
5. You become very self-sufficient and independent.
6. You grow up a lot and very quickly.
7. Starting again in a new country, you are thrown in at the deep end – the others who come out the other side with you become friends for life.
8. You meet people from other countries who are a useful international network and may be helpful for your career.
9. You can study abroad whether or not you’re studying a language at university, so why not take advantage of your opportunity to spend a year of your degree in an exciting new place?!
10. You will understand foreign customs and traditions, which will be helpful for international business negotiations in future.
11. Employers are fascinated and impressed by your year abroad experiences in interviews.
12. Not many students study abroad, it is something unique and noteworthy on your CV that will help you to stand out.
13. You are more likely to regret the things you don’t do…
14. You will eat new food and learn to cook local specialties to surprise your friends and family on your return.
15. Many graduates find that their future career direction is influenced by what they do on their year abroad.
16. Teaching on your year abroad enables you to try it out before you commit to a PGCE or Teach First placement.
17. If you are considering moving abroad after you graduate, you can scout around for a place to live and make useful contacts to pave your way.
18. Many year abroaders meet their future husband or wife on their year abroad… just sayin’.
19. You can keep a blog or a journal to record your experiences abroad, so once you are nearing the middle or end you can look back at your outlook at the start and truly see your progress.
20. You can write your own guidebook which will help you, your friends and family on future trips to your year abroad destination/s.
21. You can practice travel writing if you are interested in a career where you travel internationally and are self-employed.
22. Being fluent in a foreign language will open innumerable doors and possibilities to you, both in your career and personal life.
23. You can offer international business development to any company you choose to work for.
24. The food in [insert your dream year abroad destination] is amazing!
25. If you work on your year abroad, then when you enter the job market on graduation you will already have real life work experience on your CV.
26. Many students have found that the company they worked for on their year abroad offers them a placement after they graduate.
27. On graduation, you don’t just have to scout the UK job market for opportunities - the world is your oyster!
28. You will feel comfortable with the idea of starting your career abroad.
29. There is a huge support network available to you – your home university, new Erasmus friends and, of course, ThirdYearAbroad.com!
30. If you study at a prestigious foreign university on your year abroad it will look fantastic on your CV.
31. If you study abroad, you will make contacts at the university there who will help you if you wish to pursue a Masters or PhD.
32. There is funding available to you – grants and scholarships on top of your student loan – so it shouldn’t cost more than studying in the UK anyway.
33. If you study abroad, you will have spare time to earn money to spend on top of your Erasmus grant and/or student loan.
34. You can work as a freelance translator or interpreter in your free time if you are considering that career direction.
35. Once home you have more to say for yourself, so you become more confident and better at networking, leading to better job opportunities.
36. You can earn extra money by teaching English in your free time.
37. You will start forgetting what things are called in English and have to mutter mid-conversation: "melanzane...melanzane... AUBERGINE!" Very cool/pretentious (delete according to if it's you or somebody else).
38. Living with locals will help you to pick up local slang, dialect, intonation, hand gestures and ‘in-between’ words like ‘eeeeeeehh’ (instead of ‘ummmm’); the mastery of which will quickly banish locals’ first impression that you
are a foreigner. This means that they will stop replying to you in English and give you a chance, which will boost your self-confidence hugely.
39. Despite teaching or working on your year abroad, you are still eligible for student discounts, so you can travel, drink, eat and party cheaply.
40. If you never had a ga