So you’ve decided to study abroad. Look at you, you independent, academic jetsetter! But there are a lot of steps between the decision to go and settling in to your home away from home (even if it’s just for the semester)! Start with the basics; what do you need to do to get from here to there?
Does your school offer any sort of information session, and if so can you go to it? If you can, that is the absolute best way to begin your months long journey of research, applications, and decisions. They know the big questions that you’ll be asking, like if your credits will count and the things necessary to be accepted. Also, your advisor does this for a living, so any specific questions (even if they seem random like “do they have the same assignments as we do?”), they will try their hardest to answer. They will be your best tool in all of this, so use them as much as you can! Email them, set up a meeting, or stop by drop in hours if they have them. Your international advisor can give you the right forms, guidance in questions, and point you in the direction or to the person you need; they’re basically your Google.
But some things you will have to figure out yourself, and that is where your actual Google skills come in. I’m sure there have been other people with the same questions as you, or someone who had the same situation you’re thinking about. So look it up, scroll through pages, and generally just spend some time making yourself familiar with the things you’re curious about. Something really helpful is to check out specific travel websites such as Independent Traveller or Travel Fashion Girl, both of which have articles that answer basically every possible question you could have about travelling, including how you can actually manage to pack enough clothes into just one bag (which totally seems impossible, though you can do it)!
Looking through all of these things can help prepare for the non-academic things, but what about classes and courses and program requirements? It seems a little overwhelming, I know, especially with class lengths and weighting being completely different in other countries, but this is where you can begin to become familiar with your international host school by looking through their website, viewing their schedules, and possibly emailing staff there to see if they can help. I recommend this as an important part of your pre-departure planning because it can give you a contact at the host school and can give you some great answers to your questions.
All of this can be really scary and confusing, and it can definitely be a long process, but don’t give up! If it’s something you really want to do, you can find the tools and people to support you throughout the whole thing. Let’s be real; it’s going to be a blast, and the best things are never easy!