Amanda Carroll

My “Global Explorer” moment

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that loved traveling, so I feel like it is something that has been instilled in me from a very young age. I traveled for the first time without my family in middle school and the first time without anyone in college.  The sense of independence that comes with it and the hunger to grow and learn about the world has me constantly going back for more. Once you start making friends in various places, traveling becomes that much easier too. So, I can’t say I have one specific “moment” but a collection of moments, memories, and conversations around the world that have turned me into the person and travel-lover that I am today.

Advice for students thinking about coming to AUP or going abroad for college

You can do it. Studying abroad was a huge factor in my college decision as it was something I dreamed of doing since I was a child. When the time came to do it though, I froze for a moment and started doubting everything. If you’re feeling that way, it’s normal. And if you’re not, great! But trust me when I say that you can do it- as long as you have an open mind. You’re about to embark on the greatest journey of your life and you are going to learn so much about yourself and the world around you in the process. You will make friends from around the world, gain skills that are valuable in any marketplace, and make memories that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life. Those are things nobody will ever be able to take away from you years down the road. It was the greatest decision I ever made and it can be yours too, only you can do it 8 times over!

Favorite thing about AUP

College is a time of immense personal and intellectual growth. You will learn a lot in the classroom through your course material and readings, but you also learn a lot from the people around you. And there is no better place to do that than AUP as AUP is a place that understands these things and prioritizes them. Your classroom and cafe discussions will cross national, ethnic, religious, lingual, and cultural boundaries. You will be able to use Paris as an expansion of your classroom learnings.  The world needs people that can view a problem through multiple lenses and solve global issues with interdisciplinary solutions, and AUP is going to prepare you to do that and more. That sense of global citizenship and that love of a challenge is my favorite thing about AUP.