How Studying Abroad Changed My Mindset?

When I began my semester abroad at the University of San Diego in fall 2025, I was filled with excitement and high expectations. I saw it as a chance to deepen my understanding of marketing, especially digital and social media marketing, which hadn’t yet been a major focus at my home university. I imagined the experience would give me hands-on skills, new insights and maybe even help me figure out what kind of career I wanted to pursue after graduation. Beyond academics, I was equally excited about the life outside the classroom and all the experiences that would help me grow as a person. Like many students, I’d heard that studying abroad could be a life-changing experience, some even describe it as the most exciting time of their studies.

But once I began settling into my new environment, I realized that things weren’t as clear-cut as I’d expected. I had come to California hoping to find clarity about my future: to discover what would truly bring joy and meaning into my life, and test whether living abroad was something I could see myself doing long-term. Instead, I found myself even more confused than before. The more I learned and experienced, the more I started questioning what I actually wanted to do with my life. I noticed that even in a beautiful, new environment, the same worries and uncertainties about my life and future that I’d had back home didn’t simply disappear.

Sunset Cliffs, San Diego

This realization hit hard: a meaningful life isn’t necessarily about where you are, but about how you see things. Your surroundings can inspire you, but they can’t do the inner work for you. As the UC Berkeley Study Abroad Blog explains, true growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone and changing your mindset, something that doesn’t just happen overnight. Once I started to focus less on finding the perfect answer from outside and more on how I approached different situations inside my head, particularly the difficult ones, I started feeling freer and more at peace with not having an answer to all of my questions.

Now, I try to approach every new opportunity, whether it’s studying, working or living abroad, with a more open mind. The experience itself won’t automatically change your life: it’s what you do with it that matters. Growth takes effort and reflection, but if you actively work on your mindset and stay curious, every experience, no matter how confusing at first, can help you move forward with greater confidence and clarity.