Conner Kempe Recommends Study Abroad

While studying economics at Dartmouth, current Stetson School of Law student Conner Kempe took the opportunity to spend the winter of 2010 studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. The trip allowed Conner Kempe to focus on developmental economics, and network with some big names in the Australian business and finance world. Given his own experiences, Conner Kempe highly recommends that college students spend some time studying abroad, for the following reasons.

Experience different cultures. Although some might not think that the difference between the United States and Australia would be particularly different, Conner Kempe said that the experience of international travel was very valuable. Students who take part in study abroad programs have the unique opportunity to fully immerse themselves in a culture other than their own, and learn to see the world from a different perspective.

See academics from another angle. Conner Kempe found that studying economics from an Australian perspective was eye-opening. Students who spent a semester or a year in another country have the opportunity to learn from scholars who were trained in their field, but with a completely different national and cultural background. This can allow students to gain an additional viewpoint on their studies.

Improve language skills. Although Conner Kempe traveled to an English-speaking country for his study abroad, he says that immersion is always the best way to learn a language. Conner Kempe, who is conversational in Spanish, highly recommends studying abroad in a non-English speaking language for students who would like to improve their foreign language proficiency.

Get outside your comfort zone. Traveling alone can be anxiety-inducing by itself, but doing so to the opposite side of the world pushed Conner Kempe to fully open himself to new experiences. Conner Kempe fully believes that taking a risk and traveling to a new country can help students to grow as individuals and improve skills relating to independence, communication, and problem solving.