In the Summer of 2018, I received the opportunity of my dreams, a chance to study abroad in London. In college, Shakespearean plays became one of my favorite areas to study. So, when the opportunity arose to take a class on Shakespeare in the very city where his work took off, I was more than excited for this journey. Looking back on my trip, I would love nothing more than to relive those moments, but there are some elements of studying abroad that I wish I had known beforehand.
If you plan on studying abroad in the future, or maybe you’re simply interested in learning more about what it is like to study abroad, then you can follow along as I share some advice on what I wish I knew before studying abroad.
1. Checking the Forecast
Technology these days gives us the flexibility to stay connected with areas all over the world, and that includes having access to the weather forecasts in other countries. While we often hear that England is rainy and gloomy most of the time, the summer of 2018 was recorded to be the hottest summer England had ever seen! Needless to say, my classmates and I found ourselves shopping for shorts within the first few days of our arrival. Even if we couldn’t see the entire forecast for that summer, if I had checked the weather just a couple of days before I left, I would have seen the intense heat that had begun rolling in and packed more clothes that reflected that.
2. Be Prepared, But Not Paranoid
Before my trip, an advisor informed me that looking like a tourist can attract negative attention. I didn’t want to cause any trouble so, per the advisor’s direction, I didn’t carry a full-sized purse with me that could be grabbed, I didn’t take summer attire that would make me look like I was on vacation, and I didn’t carry around a map or anything that would make it appear as though I didn’t know where I was going. While I believe this advisor had good intentions, they were sorely misguided. Walking around the city streets most of the time, a purse would have really come in handy. Instead of a large purse, I should have taken with me a smaller cross-body bag that could easily carry my wallet, phone, and a few essentials. I could have still kept it close to me for safety while better managing all of my items. As for the summer attire, as mentioned in the first point, it…was…HOT. My advisor stressed that England locals find it inappropriate to walk around in shorts or tank tops, so upon my arrival, you can imagine my surprise at just how many people I saw wearing those exact items. The moral of the story, you can watch vlogs of influencers who live in the area that you are traveling to in order to determine what is actually common attire for that location unless you are looking for a great excuse to go shopping the moment that you arrive. Finally, London is huge and the service on my phone was limited due to being in another country, therefore GPS was out of the question. No one is going to judge you for looking at a map if you need to. On the plus side, the locals were very friendly and always willing to give me directions when asked.
3. Allow Time to Wander
Planning out some of your trip can be a very effective way of managing your time and making sure that you visit the places you are looking forward to the most. However, if you let yourself get caught up in the details of having everything planned out then you may miss the special hidden gems that you won’t find in a tourist pamphlet. Some of the best memories from my trip are of moments where my friends and I just hopped on the tube (subway) and got off at a random location and began walking around aimlessly. We found a cozy coffee shop that we visited several mornings, street artists creating elaborate chalk drawings outside of the National Gallery, community theaters performing traditional plays with unique and modern twists, and so much more. If you give yourself time to just wander then you may find yourself making the most special memories of all.