Congratulations! You are going to Study Abroad! Now what?

You get e-mails about study abroad, you see flyers posted in your classrooms, you hear some friends have signed up already. After much debating and thinking it over, you have decided you also deserve this experience and you sign up to study abroad! Congratulations, you have been accepted! Now what?

Most students feel a bit confused about the process of study abroad and go through some or most of the following steps.

1.You panic. You realize you have signed up to go to a country where you don’t speak the language and you know no one who is going. You feel you will spend weeks there alone, with no friends, no family, unable to eat because you cannot communicate to anyone you are hungry. Then you wake up and realize it was just an anxiety attack (normal!) and you start getting excited! You will spend weeks outside of your comfort zone, making new friends (who are in the same boat as you), and you will love trying out all the new food and seeing the world! Your family will get a lovely postcard.

 

 

2. You panic even more. You look at the whole picture. You realize that you can’t afford it. Or can you? You look into scholarships, student loans, grants, grandparent’s generosity, car washes. This starts to look possible. You make a realistic budget and see that this will cost you just a bit more than staying home. You decide you want to do this more than anything. You know the value of experiences and you will make it happen.

 

 

 

3. You are now excited. You can’t stop telling everyone you are studying abroad this summer! You start making a plan for all the things and places you want to see. You meet with the study abroad staff and get all the information you need to prepare for your trip. You read the “to do” checklist you are given and go over all the steps with a fine-toothed comb. Not only is this possible, it is real and you are going!

 

 

 

 

4. You research. The city where the program abroad is located, the rail system, the supermarkets nearby, the fresh markets, the fun facts,  the field trips you are going to take. You want all the information possible in order to prepare. You want to be a local, not look like a tourist so you get information about EVERYTHING!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. You enjoy the ride. Keep in mind that the preparations towards the trip itself should be part of the enjoyment. The planning, the orientations, the meetings with other participants, choosing which flight, the endless lists of what to pack, the anticipation of it all and yes, even the panic attacks. Embrace it all because they will become part of your travel diary, whether written or in your memories forever.

Now go and start making your postcard list, enjoy the adventure of it all!