This summer, I studied abroad for six weeks in London at the London School of Economics and then traveled around Ireland with my family. It is the longest amount of time I have ever been on a trip, let alone in other countries. Though I sometimes missed home, I wouldn’t trade this summer for anything else. Here’s what I both loved and learned about studying abroad.
1) You Definitely Are Out of Your Comfort Zone
My study abroad had 6,000 students from all over the world as opposed to a set group of 20-30 from Northeastern, so the first few days on my study abroad were a bit weird. You imagine arriving and immediately exploring and having fun with a ton of new friends. However, there was a lot of technical stuff to work out, I didn’t necessarily click with many people in my specific dorm, and it was hard to reach the people I did know without a data plan. I also was never totally sure where I was going and got lost a lot. While everything is new and exciting, it’s kind of like Welcome Week of freshman year. Except with alcohol.
However, as much as the upheaval sometimes terrified me, I realized that for the past two years I had grown comfortable. I had established a few different friend groups at Northeastern and had my routine. I learned that sometimes breaking habits is when you discover even more about yourself and what you want instead of always doing the same things you usually do with the same people.
2) Exploring Alone is a Beautiful Thing
This brings me to my next point. When you study abroad, you may never have the chance to really get to know the place you are staying again. Therefore, if you want to see or do something that no one else wants to do, go for it! (However, do not go out alone at night and always tell a friend where you are going) Sometimes it’s really nice to explore a museum at your own pace or read a book in a park or go on a running trail to clear your head.
3) Watch Your Spending!!
In London, the British Pound is twice as much as the US Dollar so I had to be really careful not to blow away all my co-op money. I kept a budget on Excel and did little tricks to save cash here and there. My residence hall provided breakfast so I often took an extra croissant and fruit for lunch after my lecture. Additionally, I always presented my LSE ID to see if I would get a discount and took advantage of free museums. Most importantly, I usually only brought cash when I went out to control how much I spent and to ensure my credit card would not get stolen at a crowded pub or club.
4) Homesickness Will Hit… But You Will Get Through It
Whenever my sister snapchatted me a picture of my dog or I ended a Facetime call with my boyfriend or I went on Facebook and saw my friends from home and friends in summer classes hanging out, I felt a pang of homesickness. The first night, I counted all the days I was going to be away for and realized how long of a time it was. However, while the first few days can be rough, you get through it and realize how awesome of an experience you are having with all the awesome new people you wind up meeting over time. By the end, I felt like I was running out of time to see everything as opposed to having too much time and knew that I would really miss some of the people I met.
5) It’s Okay Not to Go Out All the Time
Some of the people I became friends with liked to party Monday – Saturday. I definitely couldn’t keep up and got a bad cold trying to my first week. I also hate clubbing. However, I realized that it’s okay to take a night (or three) off or to leave early. No one will judge you for it. I met a few people who also didn’t like to go out as much as the others and would grab a nice dinner or go exploring other parts of the city in my free time instead of going out.
6) Take the Time to Get to Know Your Professors
My professors had incredible experience and had traveled all over the world. I know people often say that study abroad is easy and that you don’t need to focus on class, however you may miss out by blowing class off.
To find out about more of our staff’s study abroad experiences, look out for Anna’s article about her field study in Costa Rica later this week!