Abstract: Read each sub heading

 

1)    It Gets Better… After Getting Worse: When you first arrive, it is exciting and you can’t wait to plunge into things. But then a feeling of “is this it?” may creep its way into your mind. You may feel like you are back in freshman year, having to start all over without any of the friends you have already passed this phase with back home. It may be challenging settling down and many things may frustrate you, from the simple things such as trying to charge your phone while your laptop is charging and realizing you just have one outlet converter to feeling nobody is understanding your sense of humor or sarcasm. No worries! It gets better. Go at your own pace as everybody’s experience differs. Hint at support if you need any. Sometimes just receiving a piece of home in the mail, whether in the form of homemade banana bread or something so common as your favorite hairspray, unavailable abroad is enough to keep you going. It’s the little things…

 

2)    You Get Sick: Homesick, yes, but you also get SICK-physically. I remember being sick about 3 times during the term. A headache, a cough and sore throat come around more often than they did for me back home. Going out a single night without a scarf had me waking myself up with the crackle of my own cough. Moral of the story: dress appropriately and expect to get sick at least once. I am no doctor but I know your body is adapting to a new environment. If you are on any special meds, don’t forget them.

 

3)    The Course Load Can Weigh In Heavy: When people talk about their study abroad experience, they tend to omit the studying and talk about the experience abroad. Although you want to travel and make the most of your experience, remember the primary reason you are there is to study. WATCH OUT for people from other institutions whose work abroad does not factor in towards their overall GPA. The amount of fun they are having can be misleading! Make sure you always get your work done first, just as you would back home. Just because it is abroad makes the work no less serious.

4)    You Get Lost: Self-explanatory. Even when in groups, always have a map handy. Personally, I always had 3 but always got lost regardless. Also, leave your location giving yourself twice as much time as googlemaps may claim you need so you are not late to events.

 

5)    People Are People No Matter Where You Go:  Don’t think everyone loves Americans, don’t think everyone hates us either. Some are absolutely in love with our accents and culture while others think we have no culture and find our accents repulsive and flat. There are different kinds of people in different races and different countries, so don’t think one persons actions are a reflection of a nation of people. Every country has the good the bad and the ugly. Even outside America, there are the nice ones, weird ones and the douche bags.  And just like back home, you won’t get along with everyone, so don’t worry about it.

 

6)    There Are Expenditures Beyond Tuition: The tuition may seem like the main study abroad obstacle, but you will spend money on trips, groceries, books, and remember the conversion rate. The conversion rate KILLED my pockets in the UK! Before leaving, be sure to call your bank and inquire about the international charges or if they have a branch abroad. If you are there for less than 6 months, they generally don’t let you create a bank account in you host country, so spend wisely. Withdraw enough to sustain you for the week to avoid constant ATM charges. Also, remember to check your bank statement EVERY evening. I got a miscellaneous $80 charged on my account that I am still in the process of figuring out. Since you are abroad, unfamiliar acronyms appear on your statement and at the end of the day your purchases are still fresh on your mind.

 

7)    You will meet a lot of people, but won’t know as many: In the midst of everything, remember to meet people and get to know a few of them. Take time to build a relationship with people so that they are more than a familiar face on campus or on facebook. I remember meeting a guy (turn friend, turn college husband) at a speed meeting event one day and another day staying up talking with him till 2am. After my program ended, I visited his family in Southampton and now we chat whenever we get a chance. Another friend of mine and I met on the very first day and then I didn’t see her in weeks. One day I ran into her, we went to hall together, went partying together and one night, she and I walked all the way to Dominos to put our coupons to use as we nonchalantly looked out for Emma Watson. While there are many who I can barely put a name to a face without the help of facebook, there are a good few whom I know as people and share memories with. Don’t try to hang out with everyone at once and do not let the only place you hang out with people be at the club or at the movies, because it is difficult to get to know them in such environments. I personally liked stopping by peoples’ rooms or grabbing a meal with them.

 

8)    Life back home goes on: Here’s the sad truth. You’ll miss birthdays, MLK Day, Thanksgiving, anniversaries, historical events, etc. It is hard to catch up, especially with the difference in time zones. Upon your return, you may have to re-socialize into your previous social groups, but that is ok. Do yourself a favor: Don’t sit behind your laptop feeling nostalgic as you click through people back homes’ pictures on facebook. Chances are they wish they were in your shoes so live in the moment and try your best to enjoy the here and now. I remember it killed me the morning I heard Joe Pa was fired. I heard it over chattering at breakfast and it took everything in me not to log on to facebook (shamefully my primary source of news after twitter) as I had an essay due in 4 hours. I knew even though I loved Joe Pa, he was not going to type this essay and even though I cared about the safety of everyone in the midst of the riots, the essay was not going to write itself. I had to put aside all my thoughts of my Alma Mater, concentrate on what was important and accept the harsh fact that I could not be there to support my university. (Then again, when you think about it, what could I actually do even if I were there.)

Another point under this heading is that you should remember to keep in touch with your academic advisor. As I mentioned, life continues, therefore do not forget to schedule your courses for the next semester, to settle any housing contracts you plan on signing for the next semester and to ensure that upon your return, your academic standing enables you to graduate on time. Also inquire what you will need to do to be sure of timely grade conversion. Remain in the center of your academic business.

 

9)    You Can’t do it all: I am the queen of telling people to get involved and meet people and do stuff and travel etc etc but I think even more important is to remember that you can’t do it all. I remember saying I was going to attend every single activity listed for fresher’s week but there comes a point when you are physically and mentally drained of meeting new people and making a melody out of the recitation of who you are, where you are from and what you are studying. When that point comes, it is vital that you eliminate any form of guilt of “missing out” on anything and respect your body enough to give it time to rejuvenate. If you fail to do so, well you may find yourself on a slippery slope where you physically begin to fall ill, your grades begin to slip, you therefore will be a cranky socializer then you will start feeling homesick, and end up having a horrible study abroad experience and wishing you had stayed home. All this to say: Slow down! 🙂

 

10) You WILL have a good time*: (They tell you this, but let me reiterate) When things get rough, you may begin to second-guess everything. Maybe you chose the wrong program? The wrong country? Maybe you aren’t going to have that life-changing experience? Maybe you should have saved more money? The answer: oh well. It is what it is, so make the most of it and once you stop worrying and start living, before you know it, the best experience of you college career will be over and you will wish you could start over.

I wish you nothing but the best. I had an AMAZING time abroad (The highlights of my experience are coming up in my next entry) and I sincerely hope that the only negatives you are bringing back from your trip are those from your old school camera or none at all. I wish every student could experience studying abroad, but if you can’t, at least Geobloggers are there for you to live vicariously through us. Safe travels to all studying abroad in the Spring.

 

*This excludes the negative Nates and Nancies who complain about the weather, the workload, the food and the people and spend extended periods of time in their rooms skyping all their friends at home, while not participating in life around them. Sorry, can’t guarantee happiness for you. Actually, I can’t guarantee this for anyone.

Location: Oxford, England