Studying abroad for country, more than academics or language-- ok?

<p>So I want to study abroad in a country I've visited , and love - India. However, I've studied french for years, and I'm an English & psych major. I am interested in the courses offered there, but the main reason I would be going is for a cultural experience and the chance to live in India, which I may never get again. Thoughts on this? Do you think it makes sense/is worth it to go abroad for such reasons, even thought I love my school academically?</p>

<p>I would recommend this approach, actually.</p>

<p>I have always wanted to study in Japan, and I never wanted to study in Europe. Yet when it actually came down to selecting programs, my first choice was a program in Switzerland – because I could perfect my French and the program’s topic was public health. My second choice was the Netherlands, because of its focus on sexuality and gender identity, which is my research area. I ended up going to the Netherlands (the Swiss program closed before I was able to get all of my application materials in).</p>

<p>Although I absolutely loved my study abroad experience and treasure it forever, especially the friendships I made there, I often wish that I had stuck to my dreams and gone to Japan or even one of the other many countries I’d been interested in culturally – Brazil, Thailand, Korea, etc. Amsterdam has a special place in my heart (I miss it like home – I miss it MORE than home, lol) but it’s not the place I imagined myself studying.</p>

<p>A study abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to immerse yourself in another culture. If you go for a semester, you’ll be there for 4 months; if you go for a year, you’ll be there for about 9 or 10 months. Study abroad is an emotionally and intellectually grueling experience, and you want to have that experience somewhere that you <em>really</em> want to be!</p>