The Case to Be Made for Study Abroad

By Krister Lansing on February 22, 2017

I am a sophomore at NYU, but other than the credits I’ve accumulated everything else about me suggests that I am a freshman — Citymapper is my best friend, I don’t know where the inconspicuous bars that don’t ID are located, and I still start when one of the  million emergency vehicles’ sirens sounds down the avenues.

The reason for this general greenhorn-ness is that I studied abroad my freshman year. The decision to undertake such an ambitious and non-traditional freshman year was the result of me ticking a few boxes on the Common Application for something called the ‘Liberal Studies Program’ and haphazardly listing the cities in order of preference and I thought, ‘Why not London? All my friends from the international school are going to school in the UK. Maybe I’ll get in.’

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So I clicked submit and sealed my fate that even though I didn’t apply to a single English university, I would be spending my freshman year of college in London. My intent is to assuage the fear you may have about studying abroad (I did it my first year no problem) and offer some candid counsel on how you can maximize your experience on an international study program.

My hope is that you can learn from my mistakes and take full advantage of the positive choices I made while abroad. London was a relatively accessible culture and there are surely more foreign experiences to be had, but the advice I’ll offer can apply to any study abroad program.

First, don’t wait. As soon as you get there, you’ll most likely have a list of things you want to get done and unfortunately, you will not get it all done. Therefore, always say yes to any kind of proposition. I discovered a new favorite artist of mine because I agreed to accompany my friend to a strange sounding concert held in a chapel. Sure, I had to wake up early the next morning to make up the reading I missed but it was worth it. The point is to make time for the things you know you want to do — I never went to the top of the Shard because I kept putting it off and never walked through a fountain with my friend to mess with our roommate because we waited too long. Procrastination doesn’t just apply to academic work.

This one seems like a no-brainer but engage in the local culture. And by this I don’t mean go to the pub on the weekends or start eating croissants every morning, I mean meet local people. My friend joined the University College London soccer team and made life-long friends and future colleagues. My suite-mate made such strong friendships in the jazz scene in London, he is going to return his junior year to continue these relationships. This is honestly my biggest regret — it is very easy to simply exist in your American bubble and experience the culture but only with your friends at your particular university. The cultural exchange with students of other nationalities is the point of many of these programs, so make it a priority.

Finally, the last point to be emphasized is you must travel. If your school doesn’t already provide cultural programming trips urge them to or if you don’t have the wherewithal to do so, ask for grants or use the very cheap train systems that connect cities and continents. Wherever you are, use your breaks to explore the surrounding regions. Doing this all with friends bonds you together tighter than glue and will provide you with an endless reservoir of hilarious stories for future dates. My favorite one is when my friend got lost trying to get home after a night out and then eventually ended up in the Barcelona zoo (don’t worry he made it back and the lions didn’t eat him).

With these three pointers in mind, it is almost impossible to not have your year abroad be one of the most exciting and memorable times of your life. But remember, the deadlines for fall 2017 are approaching so get it done or try for spring 2018. Happy travels!

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