Studying abroad isn’t all beaches and planes and alcoholic drinks for those under 21. There’s more to it than the fun-side you will see posted all over social media. When you go abroad as a student, you have to realize that yes, you will be taking classes. The only exception to this is if you decided to do a spring, winter, or summer “short-break,” where you will probably either volunteer, take tours, or do something in regards to the topic for that specific program. Any other program (i.e. a semester or year-long), you will have to find a school-life balance.
Did you know all of that? Maybe you did, but some people didn’t. And there are plenty of other things that some people are unsure of when it comes to studying abroad. I’ve gradually learned these things over my two study abroad terms, and I want to share with you all some advice and tips. Some of the things I am going to share with you have been asked to me by others, and other things I think are simply important to know. If you have any additional questions you have for me about traveling or studying abroad, please let me know in the comments, social media, or e-mail!
- What was the biggest culture shock to you? And how did you overcome it?
My first study abroad program was with Youth for Understanding, and I went to Germany. It was my senior year in high school, and aside from the Bahamas, I had never been outside of the U.S. before. I’d only traveled around the Midwest, once to California, and down South. This left my comfort-zone purely in the North American border. So when I went to Germany, I was expecting…well, to be honest, I don’t know what I was expecting. But in hindsight, I feel like I was not expecting Germany to be as modern as it is and for the its citizens to be as nice as they were. I don’t think I really experienced culture shock in Germany. Maybe having to overcome the frustrations of language barriers, but that is the hardest thing I could think about.
As for Italy, I think I’ve experienced a culture shock here. The timing is completely different than it is in the U.S., which makes for inconveniences and frustrating moments. Italians have Pausa, which is like a midday break to go home, eat with your family, and relax before finishing out your day. While I read a bit about this occurrence before I came to Italy, I never really knew how I would react to it. At first, it was pretty nice because it forces you to slow down. After awhile, it became kind of difficult because my classes began and when I needed to do something during Pausa, I couldn’t because everything would be shut down. To overcome this culture shock, I realized that there was literally nothing I could do about the situation, and I try not to stress about things that I can’t change.
There will be some things that shock you in a new culture that you can try to work around and others that you can’t do anything about. Everybody is different in how they react to things, so honestly, I would advise that you go with the flow as much as you can. Going to a new country will present unfamiliar things, and nothing would be good if you always stressed about it. It’s important to adapt.
- How does studying abroad open doors for you?
This is easy: I have been offered jobs and extracurricular positions because of going abroad. You become more cultured and aware of the world when you step outside of your comfort-zone. Not only do you learn a new perspective, you also learn how to be flexible and adaptable, which are highly needed skills in every field. Studying abroad makes you more competitive because of all the skills you learn just by getting on a plane and jetting to another country. Who would’ve thought that could be a thing?
- What’s something you wish you knew the first time you studied abroad?
There are two things I wish I knew: 1) it’s okay to not have the best experience, and 2) you need to force yourself to talk to people [in the language of your host country], regardless to if you suck at the language. Let me expound on these two things.
When someone goes abroad, everyone automatically assumes that they are going to have the best experience in the world. Little known fact though: not every experience is great. Things happen: you may not like the location at all, the people you are with may suck, or you’re too homesick. Or even if your experience is good, it may not be as great as you might have thought. There’s so much pressure put on people who study or go abroad. That can make an experience exhausting simply because of all the pressure.
Also, one downfall to my first study abroad program is that I did not try to learn German as much as I wish I would’ve. I did try, but I let my nerves talk me about to conversing with people because “I suck,” or “I don’t know it.” That’s okay. Sometimes you just have to try, and if you mess up, at least you tried.
- How do you choose where to go for studying abroad?
I think taking a risk and choosing a program that sounds interesting to you is a good deal. Ignore the location (because every place is what you make of it). Go for a program because it’s something that you think will interest or benefit you. I never had a strong thirst to go to Germany, but I went because that was the opportunity presented to me, and I learned a lot during my time there. Italy—okay, yes, this was my dream place to go, but it’s also beneficial to me, my major, and my future career. Don’t think this is me saying you can’t just go somewhere simply because it’s a place you want to. Go for that! But I recommend doing that when you can just do what you want. It would suck going to your dream country and being constricted to certain things or places and not being able to venture out.
- How can you afford studying abroad?
Regardless to if you’re going in high school or college, look for scholarships through your host program, school, and outside people, such as family and friends. There are so many study abroad scholarships to take advantage of! Look up specific program scholarships, specific language scholarships, and minority scholarships. For instance, I applied to Gilman Scholarship, which is for need-based scholars going abroad.
