Dear Abroad Spring 2016-er,
Just four short months ago, I was in your shoes – anxiously awaiting living assignments, figuring out how to somehow pack, and saying tearful goodbyes to family and friends. Right now I can guarantee you’re feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement and pretty much every emotion under the sun. Now, after a whirlwind semester of incredible adventure, learning, and fun spent in Copenhagen and traveling around Europe, I’m here to tell you what my semester abroad has taught me.
It’s only a semester.
This statement is two-fold. No matter what happens, remember you’re only there for a semester. Like in any situation involving a bunch of 20-year-olds, drama will arise, but try your best to stay out of it and don’t let it affect your semester. Chances are, you’ll never see most of these people again (unless you want to!), so don’t sweat the small stuff. That being said, make it count – you only have a semester to experience an entirely new culture, make friends, and interact with the locals. Say “yes” as much as possible (especially at the beginning!) and truly take advantage of every possible opportunity.
This is YOUR semester.
Along the same lines, make your abroad semester for you and you only. Make friends with people YOU want to be friends with, not who you feel obligated to hang out with. Travel where YOU want, not where you feel you have to go just to have gone there. This might be the only time in your life when you are free from certain obligations. Don’t forget that this is YOUR semester, and everything you do should be for you! Don’t want to go out on a Friday night? Don’t. Want to spend a week traveling through Italy alone? Do it. This semester is yours. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do!
Take the opportunity to learn, not stress.
For most Barnard-approved programs, your grades probably won’t count towards your GPA. This procedure turned out to be a true blessing. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was taking classes to learn. I could pay attention in class and take everything in without stressing about exams. I could spend an evening relaxing with my suitemates and not cramming in the library. Sure, I still tried in my classes and got stressed about assignments at times, but knowing that I could focus – first on learning and second on grades – provided a much-needed break from the torturous Barnard stress bubble.
Network and Keep In Touch
The people you’ll spend time with are most likely some of the most passionate, dedicated, and interesting people you’ll ever get the chance to meet. Get to know as many people as possible and stay in touch. Besides making some pretty awesome friends, you’ll have people to see all over the country (and world) and may be able to help each other out career wise in the future.
Travel, but enjoy your city
A lot of people (myself included) go into abroad with the intentions of traveling every single weekend. While exploring the world is certainly amazing, don’t forget to enjoy wherever you’re studying. Some of my favorite memories are little moments from weekends spent in Copenhagen- just biking to a friends apartment, visiting a new museum, going out five minutes down the road, and lazy Sunday mornings spent snuggling on my couch with Netflix. Allow yourself to get lost in your city and explore as much as possible. I was lucky enough to be on a program that included ample time off to travel, so I was able to visit 10 countries and only travel a couple of weekends, but I definitely recommend keeping a few weekends free from travel. Additionally, when planning travel, don’t forget to include different areas of whatever country you’re staying in! One of my favorite weekends of the semester was spent hiking in the cliffs of Denmark. To be honest, you’ll get the opportunity to travel again at some point in your life, whether it’s for work, family, or just some fun post graduation. However, you may never get the chance again to spend four months in a single country and immerse yourself in the culture.
Break out of the American bubble
Especially if you’re doing an American based program like I did, it can be hard to break out of the American bubble. Dinners with my “Danish Visiting Family” (like a host family, but I didn’t live with them and saw them every few weeks) were some of my favorite memories from abroad because I got to interact with a traditional Danish family and learn a lot about the culture. Try to visit spots popular to the locals and spend time with non-Americans- Americans are great, but you’re abroad to learn about a new culture.
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I’ve been home for less than a month and part of me already wants to go back. If you take nothing else from this article, listen to this: Cherish your semester and every single moment. It will go by way too fast.