Imagine getting on a plane and traveling 3,000 miles across the ocean to spend the first semester of your college career in a completely different place than where you lived his whole life. Well, it was something I personally experienced about two years ago. I was accepted to Arcadia University and their “FYSAE” (First Year Study Abroad Experience) program. It was probably the most exciting, yet nerve-wracking, thing I had ever done in my life. I got on a plane and went to the UK for four whole months as a new freshman in college. When I was leaving my home, my family, my friends and my job I was anxious and sad to leave, but once I arrived in the UK I couldn't contain my excitement. I studied at Stirling University in Stirling, Scotland. The semester I studied abroad was probably the best time of my life. In those four short months I experienced a different culture, ate new foods, made lifelong friends, traveled to other places, learned to understand an accent that sounds like a completely different language, and learned to be independent. I accomplished all of this by learning and taking a full course (and getting good grades) in college. The start of one's college career is always stressful and exciting, whether it's a person deciding to go to college in a different state or commuting from home—it's a whole life change that one must adjust to. The transition from high school to college is easier for some people than for others, depending on where you decide to go to school. Studying abroad is another short transition from your home to a college in another part of the world. There are many different times a student can study abroad; can be in the first...... half of the student's paper...... Reference Ser. Opposing views in context. Network. April 21, 2014.Hadis, Benjamin. "Why are they better students when they return? Determinants of gains in academic focus in the study abroad experience." Border Journal. Dickinson 11 (2005): 57-70. Print.Houser, Chris, et al. "Study trip abroad improves test performance through engagement and new social networks." Journal of Geography in Higher Education 35.4 (2011): 513-528. Premier of academic research. Network. April 21, 2014.Martinez, Luis. "The advantage of studying abroad." Diverse: Issues in Higher Education 28.21 (2011): 25. Academic Search Premier. Network. April 23, 2014. Mastroianni, Adam J. and Deborah L. Kelly. “College Study Abroad Experiences: Changing Attitudes Toward Cultural Diversity and Careers.” Insights into a Changing World Journal 2013.4 (2013): 1-11. Premier of academic research. Network. April 23. 2014.