Ever since middle school, I knew I wanted to study abroad in college. I still remember taking my very first Spanish class and learning about Spanish culture from my teacher, who was from Madrid. I was fascinated by how different it was from the American culture I grew up in—yet so similar in many ways to the Indian culture my parents grew up in.
Fast forward eight years later: I’m now a junior in college, just two months away from beginning my study abroad journey to Valencia, Spain. Excited is an understatement—but so is nervous.
I’ve been lucky to travel abroad before to Europe, Asia, and South America with my family, so I’ve had some experience adapting to new environments and respecting different cultures. But this will be my first time traveling and living alone in another country, and I know it will be a huge opportunity for personal growth and global perspective. To prepare, here are a few things I’ve been doing:
- Connecting With People Online
It’s pretty common to study abroad during college – so there’s usually a lot of platforms that allow students to connect. Unfortunately, my school didn’t notify me about other people joining my program so I had to look into these other platforms online to find others. For example Discord, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram accounts with the school were great ways to connect with people. I was able to find my roommates and figure out the apartment I’m living in based on these interactions.
- Getting My Visa
Getting a Visa is something that completely slipped my mind. If you are planning to study abroad make sure you set up appointments with your embassy or any other departments that can help you obtain your student visa as soon as possible. This way, if there are any delays you still have an open window to rectify any issues.
- Figuring Out a Data Plan
Another thing I forgot to think about was my data plan abroad. So many people using different things such as an international data plan from their carrier, an E-sim, or a daily plan that you pay for. Make sure to do research on which one fits your financial needs the best, and also keep in mind that since you are in a new country, the last thing you want is to be stranded with no phone service – choosing a reliable plan is very important!
- Planning Some Trips Ahead
For the most part while I’m abroad, I am planning to travel to different cities and countries, but majority of my travel will be last minute just based on some cheap flights and deals – or if anyone in your travel/friend group travels last minute. However, there are some big trips I need to think about ahead. This includes St. Patrick’s Day, which I want to go to Ireland for, and prices get incredibly high if you delay this. Additionally, I know I want to travel to the south of France, where one of my friends is staying abroad for her 21st birthday, in addition to going to Ibiza for my 21st birthday. These are some big trips that I know I am already going for, so it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead on these!
- Keep an open mind
Lastly, I want to just keep an open mind! Traveling to a new country and living there for half a year may seem daunting at first, but I know I need to be open to trying new things and going with the flow. I am usually someone that really needs to plan ahead, but I know this experience is going to teach me to be flexible to change.
I am so so excited to finally fulfill my dream of going abroad, and I hope that this can help some other girls out these looking to study abroad figure out how to prepare. Finally, one thing you should do that I will be doing is getting souvenirs from every place I visit – whether that’s post cards, charms to add to a charm bracelet, or getting shot glasses from each place!