For the typical American college student, going abroad is the most exciting experience of their college career if they have the opportunity to go. From my group of friends, I am the fourth to have the privilege to go abroad.
We all come from different home universities and have the mutual conclusion that study abroad offices are not very helpful. The office may get you to your destination physically, but you will realize you have not been fully prepared for what you are about to be immersed in. So, I composed a list of seven things to know before studying abroad.
1.Vulnerability is natural.
Being completely separated from friends, family and everything comfortable leaves you with a very strange feeling. Quickly, you’ll find yourself warming up to other classmates and telling secrets that you were too afraid to tell in the States. No worries, vulnerability is natural when studying abroad. Luckily, it’s not only you; your friends will reciprocate the feelings as well. The natural vulnerability may seem foreign, but you’ll realize how easily it comes once you’re away from your comfortable home life.
2.Love your culture.
If you are going to a school that has an international program, chances are you are not the only foreigner. There will be a mix of international students, all from various countries. Often times people from the States begin to lose their nationality when they’re abroad, but try your best not to. No matter what, your nationality won’t change – no matter how awesome you think this new culture is. Be proud of where you came from because you are representing America while you’re there.
3.Explore as much as you can.
No matter where you go abroad there will be places you haven’t experienced. Just go! Go anywhere and everywhere you can. Free weekend? Take a trip near-by. Free week? Take a farther trip. Once you’re out of the country travel becomes fairly cheaper. Thankfully, this opens up many opportunities to see more than just the country that you signed up to live in for the next semester. The more you explore, the more your mind will be opened to what the world has to offer and the people who inhabit it. Every place you go there will be a new variable – so go find that variable.
4.You will change, but it will be good.
Change doesn’t have to be negative. Studying abroad itself is a change that will be a positive experience for you. You will experience new food, new people, new culture, new places and much more. All of these factors will begin to shape your mind to be something so much greater. You will leave having a better understanding of different cultures and that is a great thing.
5.You won’t want to leave.
Whether you’re staying abroad for one semester or one year, you won’t want to leave at the end of it. You will have adapted so much to your surroundings that you will recognize how much you fell in love with it. When you board that plane home, you will feel like you’re leaving a piece of your heart at the boarding gate of your flight. Before you leave, you may think this is impossible; you’d never want to stay that long from your friends and family. Although once you’re there, you’ll realize that so much of your surroundings begin to feel like your new home, and you picture yourself spending the rest of your life in that country.
6.Financial arrangements may not come early enough.
Your home school may help you secure the financial part, but depending on the university, you may be left to attempt to navigate the financial side yourself. If you’re going abroad with government money and loans, pay close attention to when you are supposed to receive the money. Government loans don’t come until your home school in the States starts for the new semester. Therefore, if the school you’re going to out of the country requires the money to be received sooner due earlier start dates of the semester, then you will need to make new arrangements for paying your new school.
7.Currency exchange isn’t created in your favor.
If you go out of the country to study abroad, a currency exchange will be needed. Depending on where you’re going, you’ll either love the value of the U.S. dollar or hate it. Nevertheless, you’ll need to exchange your money for the currency of the new country you are in. Something that most universities don’t mention to their study abroad students is that currency exchanges are prepared to rip you off. Google may say that $1 is 0.91 Euro, but once you go to the currency exchange, they will tell you it is $1 is 0.75 Euro. To make it worse, the currency exchanges will take an additional commission charge off your money – unless stated beforehand.
There is some advice to try and avoid being ripped off by exchanging your money. First, see if local banks will exchange for you. Depending on where you are abroad, some banks will exchange money for you at the actual rate that the money is going for. Also, if you are staying abroad for a long period of time, it may be wise to open up your own bank account. If you do this, then someone from your home can wire you money, which will help you avoid high commission fees and low exchange rates. Another option is saving some American money to exchange with people who are traveling to the U.S. It may take some friends of friends to find someone traveling to the U.S., but it’s not uncommon. If you find a person traveling there, they may be just as happy as you are to exchange with you for the current going rate Google states.
If all else fails, do some hard research before exchanging your large sum of money at a currency exchange. Different currency exchanges shops exchange at different rates. It changes daily per shop and one shop down the street may be cheaper than the one you’re standing in front of.
Depending on what country you’re going to, you may run into people who don’t think highly of Americans – especially with the recent Presidential candidates. All that can be suggested is to stick to your guns. Be the example to show them that their stereotypical American isn’t who you are, and it won’t define you. Be proud of where you came from and who you are.
