At the start of the semester, just a week after winter break, two friends sat in Bluestone Lane deep in conversation about studying abroad. One, a junior who had just voided her final opportunity to study abroad for the spring, admitted to feeling unsure about whether she would come to regret the missed opportunity. Her uncertainty sparked a deeper reflection on Harvard’s study-abroad culture and the opportunities that would arise in the coming years. It seems that at Harvard, and generally speaking, few—if any—regret taking the leap to study abroad, yet those who don’t often wish they had. So why is studying abroad not a more established part of Harvard’s culture?
The infamous ‘Harvard Bubble,’ that invisible force that seems to confine Harvard students to the Yard and Harvard Square, is one of the key things first-years are warned of at the start of their time at Harvard. For the average Harvard student, it feels like a massive obstacle to cross the Anderson Memorial Bridge into Boston, let alone the Atlantic Ocean to another country. Students feel pressured to make the most out of all eight semesters on campus, taking advantage of the countless academic and extracurricular opportunities on campus. Yet, seizing the opportunity to study abroad provides the perfect excuse to break out of this bubble.
Central to Harvard’s reluctance toward studying abroad is a culture of deep-rooted FOMO, also known as the “fear of missing out.” But what if we flipped this mindset? Instead of fearing what we’d miss at Harvard, we encourage students to try and reframe this way of thinking. Perhaps, we should all be having FOMO on the once-in-a-lifetime experience of studying abroad.
Ivy Kargman’s ’28 sister Sadie Kargman ’26 is spending her spring semester at the Sorbonne in Paris. “I think a lot of people at Harvard feel as though they worked so hard to get here and so they want to spend all four years here,” Ivy commented, when asked why she thinks more people don’t participate more in semesterly study abroad opportunities. “Sadie was very hesitant about going, just because she knew she’d be going alone,” she shared.“I feel like junior year is a very formative year. So that’s one of the drawbacks to going abroad. But at the same time, I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”
The anxiety of missing part of junior year rings true for many Harvard students on the fence of studying abroad. However, those like Sadie are challenging this apprehension by viewing the glass-half-full of the unforgettable experience of studying abroad.
Relocating to an entirely new environment alone can be intimidating, and many students are not willing to take the leap that Sadie took. However, Ivy explained that despite the hesitancy and FOMO her sister may have initially experienced, the past few weeks for her have been transformative. In addition to meeting incredible, new people, Ivy shared more about her sister’s cultural immersion: “She’s going to fun dinners and going to museums, and is really immersing herself in Parisian culture.”
“I definitely want to go,” Ivy stated when asked if she plans to follow in her sister’s footsteps.
The Harvard College Office of International Education currently has 133 programs posted for semesters abroad, partnering with schools that have international campuses such as Middlebury, Columbia, and Syracuse. There is even an option for students to petition specific university programs if their desired one is not listed. With such a plethora of support and opportunities at our fingertips, it’s a wonder more students are not jumping at the chance to go abroad.
Yet, even with all of these accessible opportunities, so many Harvard students still dismiss study abroad, insisting they’ll travel after graduation rather than “waste” a semester away from Harvard. However, this mindset overlooks a crucial reality: the high-pressure and fast-paced environment we’re immersed in at Harvard doesn’t just dissipate after graduation. Instead, it shifts. Many graduates become just as consumed with securing the perfect job as they once were with keeping up at Harvard.
If you’re not experiencing FOMO about missing a semester at school, chances are you’ll feel it watching your friends secure jobs while you’re frolicking in a foreign country. At that point, the pressure to prioritize career ambitions may outweigh the freedom to take time away. The first few years of post-grad is arguably a more essential time to be present than your junior spring as the time comes to enter the workforce. Really, there isn’t a better time to go abroad than during college, where you are given a plethora of options and can meet students from other universities while immersing yourself in a language you are actively taking. Harvard will still be here waiting for your return.
If Harvard is about broadening perspectives, why not take that to the next level abroad? Granted, Harvard has world-class academics, influential connections, and a campus filled with talented and driven individuals. However, studying abroad has a variety of benefits that Harvard cannot offer. For one, it provides cultural immersion in a different country: new people, food, language, and norms to explore. Studying abroad offers the unique opportunity to foster a deeper understanding of the world and gain a more global perspective by immersing yourself in a completely different culture. Engaging with people from different backgrounds can expand empathy and enhance the ability to work in different environments.
Franny Connors ’26 detailed the diverse range of people she has spent time with while studying abroad in the latest article in her column for the Harvard Independent, “A Broad, Abroad vol. 2.” On a weekend visit to Madrid, she spent one day with two French expats, and the next with two Parisian girls studying abroad in Madrid.
Another appeal of studying abroad is the once-in-a-lifetime chance to live in another country with little responsibility beyond learning and exploring. Work, financial obligations, and life commitments post-grad make it much harder to spend extended time abroad and truly immerse oneself. Studying abroad presents a rare window to explore a different culture without the pressures of a career or family. Outside of college, there may never be another chance to experience a new country in such an enriching and immersive way with so few responsibilities. “Instead of stressing about how much work I have to do, I’m worried about making time to visit all the spots in Paris I have saved in Google Maps,” Connors noted.
The biggest perk of studying abroad is how much easier and cheaper it becomes to travel to other destinations. Plane tickets are practically the same price as two slices at Pinocchio’s and hostels the price of three slices, combined with efficient public transportation that puts the “T” to shame, make weekend trips easier than ever. Instead of waiting for a time in life with enough money to travel the world, a time which may never come, studying abroad provides the perfect way to see new places while you’re already halfway there.
Lastly, studying abroad is the perfect time to finally see what the Coriolis effect is all about—the reason moving objects go clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere due to the Earth’s rotation. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to see your toilet flush in the opposite direction? Take Connors’ advice and see for yourself: “More Harvard students should study abroad during term time.”
The endless opportunities that come with studying abroad became a reality for Kyle Mandell ’25, who completed his semester abroad in the spring 2024. Mandell, who is a Romance Languages and Literatures concentrator, spent his spring semester studying in Spain—studying through a joint program with Middlebury College and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M).
“I didn’t have a lot of friends that were planning on going abroad, so it wasn’t on my radar freshman and sophomore year,” Mandell said, echoing the effects of the abroad-phobic culture at Harvard. Nevertheless, after declaring a Romance Language concentration, Mandell reevaluated and decided to take the leap. He lived with a host family who exclusively spoke Spanish, giving him a complete immersion experience. “It was nice to have a home base in another country, because you can feel isolated and far away,” Mandell said when asked about a highlight of his homestay.
Mandell explained the initial shock of beginning the semester in a new country: “All of your friends are starting their semester at Harvard, and it’s like, ‘what am I doing here?’” With regards to FOMO, he echoed a piece of advice he received from a friend before embarking on his adventure: “She was like, you’re not losing a semester at Harvard, you’re gaining a semester abroad.”
Despite the many fears and drawbacks of studying abroad, the benefits of diversifying your experience and putting yourself out of your comfort zone outweigh the costs. There is nothing that important at Harvard that one semester away would ruin, and regret is far worse than FOMO. Cultural immersion, the chance to travel with little responsibilities, and gaining the ease and accessibility to the whole world are all factors that make studying abroad an unparalleled opportunity to learn, explore, and grow in ways a traditional semester at Harvard simply cannot offer. So take the leap and step outside the Harvard bubble—there’s a whole world waiting for you.
Heidi Heffelfinger ’26 (heidiheffelfinger@college.harvard.edu) and Mia Wilcox ’28 (mwilcox@college.harvard.edu) encourage more students to consider studying abroad.