So, You're Thinking of
Studying Abroad?
You have made the first step of looking into Study Abroad. Let me tell you what I can.
To be clear, I am not going to be giving you advice on how to successfully study abroad or give you "Ollie's Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Over the Pond." I am taking the assumption you are interested about study abroad but aren't sold on it.
Study Abroad as an American student is unlike any experience you will have in college. Study Abroad, whether it is for academics (like it was for me) or for an internship is not going to be like school or work experience in the U.S. Study Abroad changes you, it takes some things from you, gives you new things, and alters your perspective on the world.
Are you worried about what you will be missing out on? I know you know that you would not have opened this article if your curiosity were not insignificant. Do not think backwards like "what will I be missing?" Instead I challenge you to ask the question, "What am I missing out on off campus? What could I be doing?"
The world on your college campus is not going anywhere, and chances are the regular routine you and your friends have is not going to change a whole lot. Why not mix it up? There is only 8 semesters to Study Abroad, and you will at least have 7 other semesters on campus. 7 semesters is a lot of time to make memories on campus, one less is not going to be detrimental to your college memories.
Instead, Study Abroad is going to make college feel longer and fill you with more and better memories. Have all of your Saturday nights blended together in the past 2 months? That is because you have done them already. Study Abroad expands your memory bank because it is filled with 1st Experiences. It makes the "glory days" last longer. What's not to love about that?
“They lived and laughed and loved and left.”
― James Joyce
Let me make some confirmations you may or may not have heard already. Study Abroad is worth it, no it does not matter which semester you go, both Fall and Spring have their advantages, and yes you may get a little homesick.
But its the 21st century! It is impossible to not stay in touch with people at home! You think you'll be alone too? You will be on a program with kids going through the same exact experience with you, with the same anxieties, also not knowing a single person in that entire time zone. You will bond with these people faster than you think.
Study Abroad also attracts a certain caliber of people as well. Not everyone is studying abroad, and those that are are the fun, adventurous, and thrill seeking individual. If they are not, then they are working on it and want to experience it all and want to experience it with you, I guarantee. When I went, I was with an introverted girl breaking out of her shell, a 6ft 7' stem major, and a sorority girl a long way from North Carolina. We found each other from all around the U.S. in a pub in Ireland and they are some of the best friends I have made in my college career.
The experiences you have abroad will help you grow. Managing travel, hostels, foreigners, natives, languages, new currencies, new foods, new customs, different histories, and new people are experiences that American's miss out on compared to the rest of the world. It will take a part of you from you and fill in its place a new, educated, and prepared person with a world view unobtainable if you stayed on campus all 4 years the entire time. For example, I discovered a new love for cooking and photography while abroad (also Guinness but that's neither here nor there).
Killarney National Park: A program sponsored excursion, one of many sponsored excursions that most programs advertise.
Killarney National Park: A program sponsored excursion, one of many sponsored excursions that most programs advertise.
An overlook from The Basilica of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre.
An overlook from The Basilica of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre.
A good memory
A good memory
The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland. A trip I did myself with a friend.
The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland. A trip I did myself with a friend.
Waterford, Ireland. Another of the breathtaking places you could visit while abroad.
Waterford, Ireland. Another of the breathtaking places you could visit while abroad.
You've made it to the end, which tells me one of two things. The first is that my article secured some anxieties you may have had and you are anxiously reading to hear all the other good news I have to share about Study Abroad. The other option is that I have not satisfied you and you're looking for more convincing.
I'm calling you out though! I know that if I personally have not satisfied you and you're still reading this that you haven't sold yourself on not Studying Abroad. Ride out that curiosity! That is your inner voice unwilling to listen to the people around you telling you you should or should not go.
What is there to lose? If you do go, you know what you will be missing out on at school, but if you don't go, you will never know what memories you missed out on, what people you could have met, and what growth you could experience. I promise promise and promise you that it is worth it. Get out of town, get out of your comfort zone, and take one massive step towards being the best version of yourself that you can be.
Friends made while abroad.
Friends made while abroad.
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