Obviously, the title is in jest. But as a second semester junior who is not studying abroad, it seems that I fall into the category of those left behind to simmer with envy as we watch our Facebook newsfeed inundated with mupload photos of the Seine at twilight and check-ins at some cool Brazilian salsa/samba club or status updates like “OMG I JUST [insert cool cultural experience]! #liveyourlife.”
If they’re especially verbose they’ve probably started a blog, and chances are it’s titled semesterthatchangedme.tumblr.com where they post photos like this when we all know they’re mostly doing this.
This felt like it culminated recently when Opinion columnist Jake Goldwasser put forth a strong, nuanced proposal arguing that a semester abroad should be mandatory for Columbia students. His idea was that living abroad gives you a perspective that you don’t even realize you need, because you are trapped in a more narrow cultural understanding.
