Why you should travel in community college

So the reason I've been MIA this week is I was traveling around in California speaking at a community college and doing research for my next book. 

And as I walked around the bay, looking at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, I remember thinking about my very first flight. It was when I was a sophomore in community college, traveling to Nashville, TN for the international Phi Theta Kappa convention.

I was attending college in Florida, so while this wasn't that "far," it was still a turning point for me. Being on an airplane was something, in my mind at that point, was reserved for "rich" people. It wasn't something I'd ever done. 

Being physically up in the air, moving from one place to another in a matter of hours, was nothing short of empowering for me. It made me feel like maybe that professor was right, maybe community college really could be this launching point that could take me farther than I could even dream.

That feeling of being in the clouds that first time has never left me. I still feel this incredible sense of gratitude every time I'm up in the air, going from one place to another. It's nothing short of magical to me, and I still can't believe I'm actually someone who gets to travel around like this. 

I want to encourage you to do whatever it takes to travel while you're in community college. Look into study abroad trips both at your college (many community colleges have these!) and through outside organizations, like Diversity Abroad.

Also look into clubs and organizations that provide even local travel opportunities. Usually officers are the ones who get to travel, so it's another great reason to get a leadership position! This is one of the greatest benefits of community college - because you don't have to compete with juniors/seniors for the highest leadership positions. You can be a president now, and I encourage you to do just that. 

My first travel opportunity is still one open to many community college students every year! Phi Theta Kappa has an international convention in a different state each year that is just out of this world. They often have amazing celebrity speakers! If you've gotten your invite letter, don't just join the chapter on your campus - become an officer!

Traveling in college, especially for anything that can add to your professional development, is WORTH THE INVESTMENT! Don't let the money scare you. Be creative and look for ways to travel for free. But don't be afraid to put a little skin in the game either. 

Because travel, to me, is about so much more than just the experience itself. It's what that experience does to your brain, your sub-conscious. I think it sends this little, very quiet, yet oh so powerful message: you can do big things. 

So go. Go somewhere. See another part of this country or this world. Let it remind you that no matter how small you feel at times, you really can do more than you ever thought possible.

Five reasons to travel in college

I used to hate it when people talked about "finding themselves" through travel. Backpacking through Europe during college seemed like a rich-kid fantasy. My family could never have afforded something like that.

So for me, travel was only a luxury - something I could never afford and something I didn't need to "find myself." I still don't believe you "find yourself" in travel. But through my travel experiences in college, I learned that travel can be an important stop on your journey to creating yourself in college.

Whether you're like me and figured you could never travel in college because you can barely afford tuition itself, or if you're deciding whether taking that student loan to cover study abroad is worth the money, I hope the the five reasons to travel in college below will help you think more deeply about what you could gain. 

1. It's cheaper, and sometimes freer, than you think. I never flew on an airplane until the end of my sophomore year of college, to the Phi Theta Kappa International Convention in Nashville. And as the president of our Phi Theta Kappa chapter, the entire experience was free.

Many community colleges have clubs whose leaders get to travel to conferences, as well as offer scholarships to travel abroad. I got a scholarship that covered a two-week trip to England I took my junior year. And my senior year my University flew me to New Orleans to present my senior thesis (and try the famous, delicious beignets), absolutely free. These opportunities are out there for you too - start with your college website and ask your professors. 

2. It makes you memories. I know this may sound cheesy, but there is such value when college is treated as a complete experience. And when you commute to college, it can be hard to really bond with new friends through new experiences. 

My most treasured memories happened on trips in college. Those memories are what tie you to your friends long after you graduate. 

3. It adds to your academic curiosity. Have you ever driven home after class, put your car in park, and then realized you totally zoned out and cannot even remember driving home? This is what happens when we get familiar.
When you travel outside your hometown, your senses awaken in a way they just can't when we're in our familiar routines. 

Something powerful does happen when we explore new places and new people - we realize there is a huge world that exists outside our daily lives. We know this intellectually, of course, but it's another thing entirely to experience it. This kind of experiential understanding can't come from a book, but it does have the power to make books (and lectures) come alive. 

Once you start to see the world in a new way, you'll find you'll develop a thirst for knowledge that stays with you forever (and has an incredible impact on your grades).

4. You actually do have the time. With the exception of the college students who have full-time salaried job while going to school (and/or kids), you will never have more free time in your life than you do now. Once you accept a full time salaried job, it will not be easy to take off big chunks of time to travel. 

College jobs and the college schedule is much more flexible. This is the time to do it. And while yes it will require sacrifices, I hope these reasons are helping you see they're worth it.

5. You'll gain independence & motivation. When I first signed up for the two-week field study trip to England, I did so with a friend. However, a month before we were scheduled to leave, she couldn't go. I didn't know anyone else going on this trip, and without her, I questioned whether I could do it. But quickly I realized, no, I am still going to go. And I went.

Being totally alone, forced to make new friends, was one of the best experiences of my entire college journey. It was empowering. When you learn that you can manage yourself anywhere in the world, with anyone, you start to feel like anything is possible for you. This attitude is worth every penny when it comes to motivating yourself to achieve big goals in college. 

Whether it's a semester-long study abroad trip to learn a new language or a weekend-conference across your state, make it a top goal to travel somewhere during your college experience. You won't find yourself, but you will find yourself changed for the better. 

How to find travel opportunities in community college

When I was in Boston last week, I happened to overhear a group of students discussing some of their plans for studying abroad next semester.

And it got me thinking, and wishing in fact, that every student could have that amazing opportunity.

The thing is – I think every student can have those amazing opportunities – I just think the responsibility falls upon the individual to find those opportunities. And not only find them, but make them happen (even if you're broke).

Sometimes that means extra work, extra classes, and extra risks.

But it also can mean an extra experience, an expanded perspective, and often amazing relationships. 

So below are three tips (It is Three for Thursday after all;) for you to use your college as your own personal travel agency and see what opportunities it can open up for you.

1. Clubs offer the most accessible pathways for student travel.

Not every club or scholarship organization has a budget that can afford to send everyone of its students on a trip. But quite a few do.

I wrote about the opportunities clubs offer in my book; I had never been on an airplane until my Sophomore year of college – Phi Theta Kappa offered that opportunity because our budget afforded officers to travel to their international convention. And that trip led to me building friendships that I still have six years later.

Even if a club can only offer you a few trips around your state or locally – those opportunities are ones that can really serve to expand your day-to-day college journey, especially if you are at a two-year school and live at home. 

Those trips also forge bonds between you and your fellow club members.

And those bonds are the ones that can last even after you transfer to your next destination. 

2. Community colleges offer travel opportunities – sometimes at a cost – but at one that you should consider.

The 2-year college that I attended offered honors students a free opportunity to participate in a global summit with students from around the world in Austria.

Now, I'd be lying to say that they took just any student - in fact, the program was very selective and usually only took a handful of students a year. 

But why can't you be one of the handful of students on your campus? Your school might not have the exact same programs, but you should certainly contact your Honors program director to see what is out there.  

If your community college doesn't offer a program like this, the odds are they still have a study abroad program (or a partnership with a local college who has one).  

I researched five different community college study abroad programs for this post, and the trips aren't cheap - they can cost anywhere from $2000 - $5000 for a program (depending on its length and scope of travel). But here is the catch - most of those programs have scholarship opportunities and grants that they allow students to apply for. 

In fact, one college that I researched offered awards to students of up to $5000 to pay for the program! The important step is to plan ahead and think creatively to make it happen (e.g. some of the colleges offered monthly payment plans for the programs as well). 

I know that it's hard enough just to cover tuition, let alone anything else. But if you close off your mind immediately, it will 100% never happen. Set a goal, ask a lot of advice, and work really hard. I promise you it is possible for you.

3. Study abroad programs at your transfer destination can also be an option.

When I transferred to a university, I took a class that included a two-week trip to England as part of the curriculum.

My scholarship covered the cost of the class – I had to work to pay for the rest of the cost of the trip. That meant that I had to work quite a few extra hours at my part time job – but I honestly can say that at no point in my life would the opportunity have ever presented itself otherwise.

And I think that is what is important to remember about these kinds of opportunities.

I constantly hear students (and even adults) mentioning the “college experience” – I don’t think a lot of people think about what that actually means.

I think the “college experience” should mean that you have this rare opportunity to expand your horizons in ways that you never had thought possible growing up.

If you’re a student like me, one that comes from a family that didn’t have the financial means to really see a lot of things outside of where you grew up, college can be a vehicle for you to see parts of the world you never would see otherwise.

The most enriching experiences aren't always the easiest or the cheapest. But they are worth the effort - and there is always a way to make it happen if you're dedicated enough. 


The best way to start? Ask someone who has studied abroad for their advice :)

To read more about Isa's personal story & how you can build relationships to: make positive friends, be more successful in academics and work, find the right people to connect with, and access the hidden job market, grab a FREE e-copy of the first chapter of Community College Success: How to Finish with Friends, Scholarships, Internships, and the Career of Your Dreams! Claim your free copy on the Facebook page!

Taking Risks After Community College

I love listening to stories; it would be my ultimate dream to travel around to listen and learn about how people’s lives unfold, how they made decisions, and where those decisions led (see my new favorite book What Should I Do with My Life by Po Bronson). 

As thrilling as it is to hear other people’s stories, there is something really unique about hearing them from your family – especially your parents and grandparents. Because selfishly, their stories led to yours, so they keep you a bit more rapt – you realize one small move, one tiny decision, could mean you would not even exist.

I’d always heard the contexts of my parents’ stories, but rarely their mentalities, their motivations, their desires, their fears, their risks.

This fathers-day weekend in particular I was inspired my Dad’s own community college and post-college experience.

My dad. Gotta love the 70's.

My dad got an associate degree from a community college in Staten Island, NY in business and accounting. He said he chose that because he had no idea what he wanted to do. He deeply wished someone had talked to him about who he was, what he wanted, and how that fit into his degree and career goals. Instead, he chose something that made sense, finished his 2 years, and went straight to work at an accounting office, traveling 2 hours walking, riding the ferry, the bus, and the subway to get to work.

One day while walking along the street to work, seeing many blank, hurried faces in suits, he realized he hated his job and couldn’t do this the rest of his life. So 10 months into his new job he took his week vacation and he and his best friend flew to Miami, FL to explore.

Aimlessly wandering through Miami, Ft.Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, my dad fell in love with Florida. They finished their last four days of the trip at my dad’s aunts house and while there he contemplated moving to Florida. He told his aunt he would go back to New York for a while, get things together, and then return.

His aunt said, “if you go back to New York you’ll never come back.”

And he knew she was right.

So my dad did something kinda crazy. He stayed in Florida. He told his friend he wasn’t coming back.

His friend was angry. His family was angry. No one understood. But my dad knew it was something he had to do. He took the risk. UPS brought all the belongings of his NY life to Florida. And he never left.

Typically these stories end here, and if you’re like me you think, wow that is awesome I want to just go somewhere, leave everything behind and do something crazy, because that is how I’ll find myself. But of course, there is reality to content with.

My dad lived with his cousin and worked a variety of jobs – a collections agent, a pick-up/drop-off man for an appliance rental company, a UPS man, a waiter at an elderly home (his favorite). It wasn’t easy. But he didn’t regret it.

That is what inspired me most, and reminded me of college. Going away, taking risks, trying something new, and leaving behind something you know isn’t for you is hard. But it’s worth it.

Similarly, college students – especially those from low-income families – tend to fear the idea of going out of state for college.

Community college students typically hop over to the local university after their 2-years to continue their degree. There is nothing wrong with this and it’s often a great option for many.

However, I talk to students daily who articulate their dreams, know what they want to do, know the best program is farther upstate or sometimes across the country, but they put it out of their mind because it seems so out of their reach. Often the biggest fear is money.

Community college saves you so much money and is an excellent choice. But it doesn’t mean the lack of money or the desire to save money should guide every decision. Because it may limit you.

It’s easy to think that because we don’t have the money we can’t make big jumps in our lives. It’s not that we need/should make big jumps simply to get the high of jumping. But sometimes, you know you need to jump and you don’t.

If you decide you want to transfer out-of-state for college, or you want to study abroad for a semester, or even a year, but don’t think you have the money – just put that out of your mind. Tell yourself the money exists for you; you just have to find it.

(for more helpful tips on how to find money for your college adventure just type your e-mail into the free gift blue box with the light bulb in the top right-hand corner for the tips that helped me get paid to go to college and a go on free trips to Nashville, New Orleans, and England).

Don’t be afraid to jump, to go, even if everyone else around you wonders what the heck you are doing. Because sometimes it’s those decisions you look back on and think, wow that really was crazy, that tend to be the best.

*Do you have a story of college risk or adventure? E-mail it to isa@communitycollegesuccess.com. And your success story may appear on the blog or Facebook.

*OR are you thinking of taking a risk but still pretty afraid? I’d be happy to help – just send me your situation at advice@communitycollegesuccess.com.