First things first: is studying abroad worth it? To which we give a huge, resounding YES.
“Traveling challenged me in ways that I never thought possible, and it helped me understand my significance — and laughable insignificance — in relation to the rest of the world,” said Grace Lower, who studied abroad several times and completed an international internship as a college undergraduate. “Many of the lessons I learned from travel forced me to grapple with messy, often uncomfortable realities.”
Luke Armstrong also studied abroad as an undergrad. “My own semester abroad in Chile will always be remembered as one of the most idyllic times of my life. It was instrumental in carving out my postgraduate life that would come. I’m not sure I’d be a travel writer if hadn’t studied abroad.”
To have the amazing and transformative experience of your dreams, how do you maximize your time abroad? These 11 tips will make sure you don’t waste the opportunity, so when it comes time to put study abroad on your resume, you’ll have it all under control.
1. Start Each Day with an Open Mind.
“Travel teaches us that the way things are for us is not always the way things are for others,” says Luke. “Every day, make a commitment to keep an open mind about what you see and experience during your time abroad.”
Grace echoes that as one of her tips for making friends and not getting lonely during study abroad trips (more on that below). “Part of living in an international community is encountering people with drastically different interests, values, and communications styles,” she says.
“However, working through differences can be a terrific opportunity for growth. Rather than breezing by points of disagreement, ask people about the ‘why’ behind their attitudes and values. You might find that you have more in common with them than you think.”
2. Take a Lighter Course Load.
Give yourself a course load that will allow time to explore your host culture and country. Don’t miss out on opportunities for weekend trips and all the other fun things your temporary home has to offer just because you have yet another paper to write.
“As a double-major undergraduate student, I always maximized my course load,” says Luke. “But when I studied abroad, I did a 180. I took the minimum.
“Looking back, this allowed me to get the most out of my experience. And because my classes were in the second language I was learning, even the minimum 12 credit hours required a lot more time than what I was used to back home.”
3. Make Friends.
Most international study abroad programs make it relatively easy to meet other international students. You either have a cohort from your home university you’re traveling with, or your host school sets up mixers and outings to help you connect.
But as Luke advises: “Don’t allow the ease of making friends with your fellow study abroad students prevent you from meeting local students. Some of the richest cross-cultural learning you may have during your time abroad can come from unlikely places, just by striking up conversations with locals — the man selling mangoes in the street, the barista at the coffee shop, or the clerk at the bookstore.”
Try these tips for making lasting friendships while studying abroad.
Be brave.
“Making new friends begins with overcoming your doubts,” says Grace. “Whether you’re striking up a conversation with your cool next-door neighbor, or you’re inviting a group of your classmates to join you for dinner, the worst outcome is to never have tried in the first place. Remember that a few minutes of courage can be the start of a meaningful friendship.”
Set social goals.
Instead of thinking friends will just happen, make it happen. Grace suggests creating a “social bucket list” at the start of your trip.
“One goal might be to learn the names of everyone in your history class, while another could be to plan a weekend outing for a small group. Taking small, actionable steps toward building your social life abroad can motivate you to be more outgoing in the long term.”
Go to local events.
Part of why you’re studying abroad is cultural immersion, so you want to go to local events anyway. Use these events to find your community.
Grace recommends a restaurant or bar that broadcasts local games if you’re into sports, going to museum talks or gallery showings if you’re an art lover, or hitting up some trendy restaurants in your area if you’re a foodie.
Ask lots of questions.
People love to talk about themselves. And if you’re hesitant to speak in your second language, this is a good way to start a conversation without you having to talk much yourself. Start with simple, open-ended questions like “Where are you from?” or “What’s your favorite part about this city?”
4. Learn How to Get Around.
If you subscribe to the “not all who wander are lost” mentality, you might skip this one. But for the rest of us ... take some time learning the layout of your host city and public transportation system. It can be mentally draining having to constantly navigate an unfamiliar city. The sooner you can make it familiar, the better you’ll feel about your decision to study abroad.
5. Keep a Journal.
Middle-school journals are cringey, and your study abroad one might be, too. But these journals are also a great way to document memories and process your experiences. You might even be able to turn them into professional opportunities. More than one travel journal entry has bloomed into a Seven Corners blog you’ve read (yes, including this one).
“While I was traveling, I kept a small, leather-bound journal in my purse,” recalls Grace. “Whether I was struggling with a new challenge or relishing an amazing experience, I’d take time to jot down what was on my mind. Putting my thoughts into writing helped me process everything I was learning throughout my travels.
“My little journal now sits on my bookshelf at home. It doesn’t contain my best writing, but it holds ideas and experiences that I won’t soon forget.”
6. Make a Bucket List.
You probably didn’t choose a destination just by throwing a dart at a map. You chose your host city for a reason, so why go helter-skelter and miss the best parts of it.
By crafting a host city bucket list, you can be intentional about your day-to-day exploration abroad. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
- Capture the perfect “touristy” photo. The Eiffel Tower might not be your favorite part of Paris, but you’ll regret not seeing it at least once.
- Find the best local bar. “Best” is relative, so make it your mission to get off the beaten path and find out who offers the best happy hour deals, non-alcoholic drinks, appetizers, trivia, karaoke, or quirky decor.
- Eat something bizarre. Rather than recoiling from unfamiliar foods, challenge yourself to give them a try. You might love it ... or you might not. Just remember to react respectfully and don’t yuck someone else’s yum.
- Give back to your community. Find a sustainable voluntourism opportunity in your host city to make sure your presence is a force for good.
- Aim high. Whether you climb a mountain or a local bell tower, get a bird’s eye view of your host city. Seeing it from a new perspective — literally and figuratively — can leave you feeling inspired.
- Find the perfect reading nook. It could be a park bench, a cafe, a riverbank, wherever. Not only will you learn your city better searching for your nook, but you’ll eventually find the perfect retreat for days when a foreign culture feels more overwhelming than usual.
- Become a regular. Having a favorite spot can give you a new home base you can call “yours” and help you feel as though you’re not just a visitor.
7. Keep a Budget.
One of the biggest study abroad mistakes you can make is not keeping track of your money. Eating out, bar tabs, taxis and Ubers, souvenirs, and all those other little things add up. If they add up too quickly, you could run out of money before the end of your trip.
Make a study abroad budget before you leave home, and then make it one of your first tasks when you arrive to figure out how much things cost in your host city.
8. Extend Your Stay after the Semester.
“Consider giving yourself time, a few weeks or maybe even a month, to stay in the country after the semester ends,” Luke recommends. “You’ll likely have new friends, places to go, and a handle on the language. Why not enjoy that new cultural know-how outside of the pressures of classes?”
Luke should know. He left for a study abroad program in Chile and never really came back. A decade later, he was still living the nomad’s life whenever and wherever he could.
9. Snap the “Study Abroad Slump.”
At some point during your study abroad program, because even great trips aren’t all rainbows and unicorns, you’re going to say, “This sucks.” Grace offers her favorite tips for breaking free of the study abroad slump.
- Take a social media break. Seeing what all your friends are doing back home can give you a serious came of FOMO. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Not knowing what you’re missing lets you appreciate what you have.
- Get involved. Engage with the community, whether that’s a service project, a club or intramural sport at the school, participating in a local festival, or something else that puts you in the thick of the action.
- Lean into your routine. When everything feels new and unfamiliar all the time, it can cause fatigue. If that’s leading you to feel homesick, lean into a routine of study, errands, gym time, and other mundane activities. Consistency will ease your fatigue and help you feel more at home.
- Push boundaries. Think of the growth that comes from stepping outside your comfort zone. Rather than seeing everything as another difficult challenge, change the story you tell yourself and try to view it as an opportunity.
- Be a tourist. There’s a time for getting off the beaten path, and there’s a time for caving to the so-called tourist traps. The must-see spots are popular for a reason. Give yourself permission to be one of *those* people and gawk at the sights.
10. Remember Why You’re Studying Abroad.
New friends, new experiences, new places to explore! They’re all important, but remember that you’re also studying abroad to, well, study.
“Put in the work learning what you came to learn,” says Luke. “Show up for class and do your assignments. With good grades, you can enjoy all the other offerings of the trip without the nagging guilt that you’re neglecting what’s most important.”
And if you have to persuade your professors or family back home to support you for another study abroad in the future, they’ll be more likely to do so when they see it was worth the investment the first time around.
Need help keeping the “study” in study abroad. Try these tips.
Build a routine.
"To keep procrastination at bay, dedicate part of each weekday to your schoolwork,” says Grace. It could be immediately after class, late at night, first thing in the morning. Whatever works best for you, as long as you can stick to your routine.
“When you budget your study time, you can avoid falling behind while still having wiggle room for last-minute plans or spontaneous outings.”
Find the perfect study space.
Add a little variety to your routine by trying different spots — cafes, libraries, parks — to study. Pay attention to which of these public places have the best Wi-Fi access.
Find a study group.
“Once I got to know a few of the students from my study abroad program, we devised a plan to study together for an hour each week,” says Grace of her time studying in Granada, Spain. “One of us would book a study room after class, then once we were finished with our homework, we would all go out for celebratory piononos.
“That’s the great thing about studying with new friends: you can always hang out after you’ve closed your books.”
Meet with a tutor.
When you’re still learning your destination’s native language, working with a local tutor can help you get ahead. Most major universities will have advertisements for other students looking for tutoring work, or you can connect with the study abroad office to see if they have any recommendations.
If you’ve hired a tutor on your own, take some safety precautions. “Bring a friend with you, or at the very least, meet your tutor in a public place,” advises Grace. “And let someone know where you’re going. You can never be too careful when you’re meeting strangers abroad, even if it’s just for a study session.”
Reward yourself.
The trick to staying motivated and sticking to your routine is to not completely deny yourself all those other exciting experiences tempting you. Give yourself little rewards for not shirking your responsibilities.
“Got a big test coming up? Schedule a few hours of study time, followed by a break for gelato.” (Grace does love food.) “Feeling frustrated by a group project? Plan a night out for your group to celebrate a job well done. By rewarding your hard work, you’ll be able to stay productive without forgoing the little joys of international travel.”
Bonus Tip: Get the Travel Insurance.
Part of making the most of your study abroad experience is staying healthy. If you get sick or hurt during your trip, do you know what to do?
Hopefully, your program or study abroad office will be able to help, but you might be traveling on your own. Any number of scenarios could get in the way of your best-laid plans. Instead of suffering alone or not getting the care you need, instead of panicking about how you’ll pay for treatment, rely on travel insurance.
Travel insurance with medical coverage can pay for your doctor’s and hospital bills while you’re abroad. Most domestic health insurance won’t do that. So while it’s tempting to think, “I’ll be fine,” why risk it?
Make the responsible choice and choose affordable travel insurance. Get a quick quote at SevenCorners.com.
