My favorite movie, “Dead Poets Society,” quotes the poet Henry David Thoreau, “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.”
In the fall of 2025, I participated in one of Asbury’s study abroad opportunities to Oxford, England. This was a middle school fantasy coming true – a once seemingly out-of-reach dream.
It was my first time travelling outside of the States alone, to go live in a house with over 30 strangers. My nerves were through the roof when I arrived at Heathrow airport to meet my roommate for the Uber ride into Oxford. I wanted to anticipate that everybody would like me, and my experiences would be shrouded by memories with lifelong friends. Our first week was riddled with orientations, tours and tea. I felt violently out of place, but so did everyone else in the cohort, so we quickly found common ground over our shared imposter syndrome.
Various studies showcased by Meridean Overseas show that there are many benefits of studying abroad, not just academically, but also emotionally and mentally. A 2024 study by The Institute for International Education of Students found that 96% of students felt a rise in confidence after studying abroad, and 97% felt their experience “accelerated their personal growth and maturity.”
From the invaluable conversations I had with my peers, tutors and directors, one of my most important takeaways from Oxford is learning how to seize the day. Living alongside strangers in another country is difficult but also exhilarating, and I think that going abroad by myself may be one of the greatest things I’ll ever do in my twenties. Exploring the world beyond me at this time in my life taught me about myself, my studies and my spirituality. The arts, faith and academics are not mutually exclusive for me. Oxford exemplified how they coexist. They were present in the speakers of lectures I attended, the music I heard in the Sheldonian Theater and the 1 a.m. kitchen conversations with my housemates.
I heard from past travelers about all the interesting people I would meet and befriend, and they were right, but nobody told me how enriching it would be to do things alone. If I could say one thing to myself at the beginning of the term, it would be to get over the fear of missing out sooner. Your time abroad is too short to be in places or with people you don’t belong with or want to be with. After I realized this and embraced the initial awkwardness of doing things by myself, I felt able to truly carpe diem.
I wanted to live deep and suck out the marrow of life, like Neil Perry in my favorite movie.
I spent lots of time socializing, but those moments I had to myself at a cafe or a museum were when I felt my experience as a student and independent traveler was most enriched. There is nothing like lingering at a piece of artwork for as long as you like, confidently eating a meal at a table for one or attending an event solo. This doesn’t disregard that company can be wonderful, and most of it was, but there would have been so much I missed out on if I had not let go of the fear of looking strange.
When your confidence is put to the test, you will learn where your identity is rooted. When I realized mine wasn’t in everyone else’s perception of me, “carpe diem” came easily. I enjoy things more freely and talk to strangers with less fear of judgment.
As I walked the same streets as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll, I soaked in the enchanted autumn and realized when I went home, I would not be the same as when I arrived, yet more myself than ever. I am changed academically, emotionally and spiritually; I see the world with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of self. I brought back souvenirs in the form of objects and reminiscence. When I came home, I brought Oxford with me.
