I have had the extreme privilege to spend approximately 175 days of the past year outside of the United States. The two study abroad programs I participated in were the first time I had been away from home (my family, my state) for that long. As different as they were, both programs were eye-opening experiences that I'm eternally grateful for. The first was a seven week long faculty-led Spanish program in Mexico City with a cohort of 24 other students from my university. The second was an independent exchange program at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey -- just a friend and I who decided Istanbul seemed like a logical way to spend the spring semester of our second year.
Fresh off of my experience across the pond, I just wanted to dispel some common misconceptions about studying abroad.
5. Taking classes abroad is just like taking classes in my home university -- if anything, it'll be easier!
We never really have to think about the fact that education is so different around the world -- that's not one of the things we are taught in school. But studying abroad demonstrates that universities in different countries don't function the same way. Formats of classes, registration, teaching styles, and grading systems vary in every shade of color. I understood that my classes would be influenced by their location, but I do not think I appreciated that different perspective beforehand.
This wasn't always a good thing -- I found the structures of my classes and exams to be so different from anything I had experienced before. There was often a larger emphasis on memorizing words from a textbook than actually understanding or applying what was discussed in lecture. Because of this, if there were one thing I could do differently on my abroad experience, it would be to not worry too much about completing all my degree requirements in one semester. Instead, this is the opportunity to take classes that you wouldn't be able to take at your home university. If you're studying abroad, take a class about the country you're in or its relations with your home country. You are studying abroad, but traveling and sightseeing on the weekends are not the only way to make the most of your semester.
4. (insert large city's name) is unsafe and you will get attacked, robbed, kidnapped, etc.
When I first told people I would be studying in Istanbul, I received reactions that were a blend of surprise and worry -- "Is that safe? Are you scared? What do your parents think?" While I understand where these sentiments were coming from, something we often overestimate is the safety of our own hometown. Any large city has its share of sketchy characters and dark corners.
But the same rules apply everywhere -- I don't go for solitary walks around downtown Atlanta in the middle of the night, and I sure won't do that in a European (or South American or Asian) city either. As long as your smart and conscious of your surroundings, this should not be a fear that inhibits you from traveling and exploring. Many students here took trips to what I'm sure gave a few parents back home some mild heart attacks -- the eastern borders of Turkey, Israel, Armenia, and more. There are bad people in the world and bad things do happen, but that should never be a reason to say no to an adventure abroad.
3. FOMO is irrelevant.
In my experiences, FOMO is not completely irrelevant and it does exist. This is probably the single factor that made leaving for my study abroad program at the beginning of the semester so difficult. It's what made staying enthusiastic and excited difficult when I was homesick. It didn't help that my home university had a pretty awesome semester topped off with a visit from POTUS. But the problem with FOMO isn't when it makes you nervous for the adventures away from home or makes you jealous of all your friends' cute pictures on Facebook -- it's when it stops you from applying to that internship abroad or foreign university in the first place. FOMO can be motivating because it inspires you to pursue different opportunities around campus and in your college career, but it can also be debilitating if you let it, and I've seen that happen to many students.
The opportunity to study abroad is one that you only have for a few short years in your life. It's an experience that's different from just traveling the world on vacation. If being a student is about learning, why not pursue that education outside of the classroom as you test your navigational skills, your currency calculations, and your knowledge of different societies and how they interact?
2. Life abroad is the perfect fairytale.
Studying abroad is not just one big party. School does exist, and it's nothing like the school you're accustomed to. But more difficult than that, is struggling to learn a new language, a new lifestyle and customs, a new school system, a new city, make new friends, and more -- while also trying to have "the time of your life." I love being abroad, but that doesn't mean I am happy 100 percent of the time (I'm sure my friends and family back home who witnessed the breakdowns can attest to that). Sometimes the stress is just a bit too much -- especially when you're trying to handle it on your own, away from every support group you've ever known. Sometimes you're so exhausted from being on all the time, that you just want to curl up in your bed and watch Netflix through your God-given proxy server -- but then you feel too guilty to do that on the other side of the world when you should be out and about making every second of this time worth it.
Needless to say, there can be limitless mental battles raging in your head in just four to five months. Most importantly, studying abroad is not the same experience for everyone. Some people absolutely love it and consider it the best semester or year of their life. But not everyone feels that way. And if you don't, it's okay. I remember being in Mexico and feeling like I had made a terrible decision signing up for that program. But now a year later when some of my friends embarked on that same trip, I found myself incredibly nostalgic and dying to go back. Though life abroad isn't perfect all the time, it is still an amazing adventure that you will gain something from -- whether it's a collection of new international friends, tales of the cities you discovered, a new sense of self, or even the lesson that traveling may not be your thing. As cliche as it is, there is so much to learn when the world is your classroom.
1. I will "find myself" in Europe/Asia/Africa/Antarctica.
Ah, what young adult fiction novels and teen movies have done to us. There are plenty of lessons to be learned and experiences to be had in the cities of your dreams. But these lessons, these experiences, these memories you'll remember -- they aren't just one big, specific moment where you realize the meaning of life of your true purpose. They're a collection of little moments that may or may not culminate into something more. I remember thinking how cliche it was to hear people talk about how much they learned or how much they grew when they travelled through Europe or volunteered in South America. I remember putting so much pressure on myself to do the same thing -- telling myself that last summer and this semester were going to be transformative, that I would come back a new person. I remember being disappointed when I didn't have that epiphany moment where I had felt like I had gone through a metamorphosis that led me to the person I was always meant to be.
But the beauty of it all is that it doesn't need to happen that way. It isn't just one grand event, one major transformation. It's the entire journey. Brick by brick, you are building the story of your life, whether you can see it or not. For some reason, I equated "finding myself" with "adventure" and "challenges." I realize now that those things don't require a passport or discovering a new city by myself. I think, in general, we put too much pressure on ourselves when it comes to this idea of knowing who we are and what we will do with our lives. But who's to say we need to "find" ourselves? When did we even lose ourselves in the first place? This semester, I did not "find myself" in Turkey, I just let myself be. And that self cannot wait to embark on some hometown adventures with the people she loves.
