As a sophomore at SU I always told myself that I was going to go abroad my junior
year. Filling out the application on the SU abroad website and writing the essays was a
piece of cake. As I squealed with excitement as I got my acceptance letter en route to spring
break 2011, I couldn’t have been more excited. Although it felt great to say “I’ll be in
London next year,” there was still so much to do before I could even start thinking about
my amazing London adventures. As a junior, who is currently abroad for the fall semester
through Syracuse University, I am going to keep you up to date on all my adventures as
well as give you as much advice as possible for studying abroad. It takes a brave person
to study abroad but I think the experience is completely worthwhile.
So, where to begin? Well, depending on when you want to study abroad determines
when you will fill out your application. For example, if you are going to study abroad in
the spring of your junior year, you fill out the application the fall of your junior year. The
application can be found on the SU Abroad website. It is pretty simple but when filling it
out make sure to have your health information, passport information, etc. Also, there are
a few short essays that you will need to fill out. The application in general shouldn’t take
too long.
Once this is done you’ll have to make sure you have a passport and health insurance that
will be able to cover you wherever you go. Once this is taken care of, you will need to
think about the type of visa you want. There are specific student visas for those people
who want to work or have an internship while being in London. You’ll need to read all
the information possible to figure this out.
There will also be meetings and other important e-mails that will be sent to you. It will
feel like everything is happening at once. The most important thing to do is to make a list
of everything to do and when it is due. Once you figure this out everything will fall into
place. Obviously make sure you are keeping in contact with your parents throughout the process.
I remember making tons of random phone calls to my parents asking
them about all sorts of things. By having this organized, life will seem less stressful.
As the semester winds down, the e-mails will too. Once you buy your ticket and fill out
all the necessary paperwork life becomes a lot easier. Throughout the weeks before you leave,
you’ll need to do figure out things like your phone, suitcase situation and buying lots of converters.
But, since you don’t register for classes for a while, you also get to start doing fun things
like figuring out where you want to go and what you want to see. Once I got home this
summer I took a trip to Barnes and Noble and bought a couple of London guidebooks. I
made a personal London Bucket list and also a list of other places I wanted to visit while
being here.
Studying abroad has tons of benefits to it but there is a lot that goes into it. By having a
general idea of what you have to do, you can start to understand how it will feel like to be
away from SU and how much responsibility you will have. If anyone has any questions
about studying abroad please feel free to e-mail me at: sasmit12@syr.edu and also please
feel free to read my personal blog, stephanieinlondon.wordpress.com. I am posting pictures
and writing about what I am doing!