During your college “career”, there are many perks to student life that definitely aren’t available after graduation. One being the fact that we can live solely off Cook Out, Ramen Noodles and Red Bull. Another is that we can stay up until 5 a.m. cramming for a test at 9:05 then stay up the whole next night for a beer pong tournament. But lastly, is that we have the opportunity to travel across the world for comparitively little money and get college credit for it. Kate Mattingly studied abroad in Seville, Spain Spring 2010 and here’s what she got out of it.
Her Campus: Kate, why did you choose to study abroad? Obviously, there are many reasons but what were yours?
Kate Mattingly: I’m actually a Global Studies major, so naturally I have a desire to experience different cultures and be immersed in them. I also have been learning Spanish for years and really wanted to be fluent in it; there’s no better way to learn the language then to live in it. I actually set my Facebook to be in Spanish since I lived there!
HC: Yo no hablo espanol. But that’s great for you! Out of all the Spanish speaking countries, why did you choose Spain?
KM: Europe! I wanted to be in Europe so that I could travel all over. And that’s the amazing thing about studying in Europe is that you can see everything, so you shouldn’t feel like you’re necessarily committing to just one country or city.
HC: I’m tremendously jealous of you right now. What was school like over there? Because after all it’s not just going abroad, it’s studying abroad.
KM: Well, one thing is that UT is greatly accommodating with everything. While I was over there I finished all the credits for my Spanish minor so none of that time was wasted. You also pay the same tuition you would pay for UT so it’s really a great deal. And as far as class, it’s different but not so much that any normal human being can’t acclimate.
HC: You finished your minor in Europe? Lucky.What was your favorite part the journey?
KM: Seeing a different culture first hand. It’s unlike an experience I can describe. We sort of live in this little bubble and we don’t even realize it until we leave. The food, the language, the people, everything is so incredibly different…but amazing!
HC: I’m sure that’s an experience of a lifetime. Would you recommend it to a friend?
KM: I would recommend it to my enemy.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tennessee chapter.