When I was getting ready to leave for study abroad I read every blog and watched every Youtube video I could find to get tips and tricks for how to be prepared for the experience. I mostly heard to pack light and be open-minded, but I wanted more than that. So now that I’ve done it, here it is: my honest advice for studying abroad in college!
- Choose the right city for YOU!
- When I was choosing which city I wanted to study in I started by looking into the programs that my university offered. Syracuse is well-known for their study abroad programs and they had many cities to offer including Florence, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Strasbourg, Santiago, and Central Europe. All of my friends were doing either Florence or London, and initially I thought I wanted to do Florence because so many people I knew had studied abroad in Italy. It felt comfortable, I had taken two semesters of Italian, and I knew I would have friends going. When it came time to apply, the abroad office opened the application and (little did I know!) within one day the program had filled up! Not knowing this, I sent in my application thinking it would be an easy acceptance based on my great grades and perfect academic standing. When I got an email later that month saying the program was first-come-first-serve and had filled up, I was distraught. I thought that my life-long study abroad dreams were over before they even began. After a quick mental breakdown and a hot girl walk to clear my mind, I began looking into all of my other options. I researched other school programs that offered Florence and learned about the many World Partner programs my school offered to cities with established programs that weren’t through my university. There were tons of options from New Zealand to Africa, but only one stuck out to me: Copenhagen, Denmark.
- I learned everything there was to know about the city, the program, the language, and the people and I felt like it was the perfect fit for me. People obsessed over the safety of the city, the kindness of the Danes, the beauty and cleanliness of the city itself, and past students raved about how well-run the academic program was. I was more excited about the idea of studying in Copenhagen than I ever was about Florence!
- I submitted my application for DIS Copenhagen the next day and was accepted the next week. I didn’t know a single person studying abroad there, but honestly I was equally as excited about that as I was nervous. I knew that I would make new friends and have the opportunity to meet people from more schools than just my own. The idea of being able to start fresh in a new city excited me more than anything.
- And let me tell you, choosing Copenhagen was the best decision I have made in my college career – maybe even my whole life. I made amazing friends who study at universities all over the country, got to redefine myself away from my friends, and got to study abroad in Scandinavia, which is way less mainstream than other study abroad locations.
- That is not to say that Florence, London, and other locations are not amazing- because they definitely are! I know so many people who loved their experiences studying abroad there so don’t let this deter you. But if something in your heart is telling you to go somewhere else, follow that feeling! Don’t let the fear of uncertainty stop you from taking a life-changing opportunity.
- Pack LIGHT
Okay, I know that everyone says this and you’ve probably heard it a thousand times. But packing light is essential to your study abroad experience because you don’t want to be weighed down (mentally and physically) by heavy suitcases full of your entire wardrobe! You WILL go shopping abroad no matter how much you tell yourself that you won’t. I personally didn’t think I would wear a lot of sweaters so I only packed a few, but ended up buying a lot more abroad. This leads to my next point: leave extra room in your suitcase or bring an empty duffel bag inside your suitcase to fill on your way back. This was definitely a life saver for me because I had extra clothes as well as some trinkets I collected in my travels.
I traveled after my abroad program ended and I had a large suitcase, a carry-on sized suitcase, a small duffel bag, and a backpack. Honestly that was really hard to carry around and I wish I had packed less than I did because I didn’t wear everything I brought.
- Immerse Yourself
Part of the appeal of studying abroad is being able to experience a new city and a new culture. So do that! Sometimes when people arrive at their destination abroad they get so wrapped up in the social and academic elements that they don’t branch out and see everything that their city has to offer. Make sure that you prioritize all of the small experiences that are happening around you! Copenhagen is known for being a biking city (they go back and forth with Amsterdam for being the #1 biking city!) so I knew I wanted to experience that. My program offered two transportation options: a provided bike rental or a metro pass. I decided to do the bike rental even though the majority of my friends went with the metro pass, and I was so glad I did! I got to experience the biking commute and the rush hour in the bike lane. I felt like I got to interact with so many more locals and appreciate a big part of their culture.
Look into what your city offers. Our local coffee shop had community runs on Fridays where everyone runs together and the coffee shop provides free coffee and food at the end!
- Figure Out if Your Classes are Pass/Fail
This mostly applies for people who are studying abroad outside of their home university. For world partner programs, it is important to know if your grades are going to count towards your GPA or if you are going to receive a pass/fail mark. I assumed that because of how my classes were set up that I would be receiving an actual grade for my classes so I put in a lot of work to keep those grades up. But once my grades were on my transcript I realized that I was pass/fail which means that my A could have just been a C! While I don’t think you should slack off all semester if you are pass/fail, I think you can focus more on other things like traveling and the experiences happening around you.
- Adjust Your Fitness Expectations
Your schedule is going to be so busy during your semester abroad- and that’s a good thing! Even if you are a total gym rat, you most likely will not stick to a super consistent gym schedule. The workout culture in Europe is also pretty different from the United States- so pay attention to that as well. For Denmark, athleisure is not what it is here and people don’t run around doing errands in leggings. When going to the gym, people wear their regular or work clothes until they get to the gym where they change for their workout, and then they shower and change into regular clothes for their commute home. My friend and I got gym memberships for our time in Copenhagen, but honestly I don’t think it was worth it because we didn’t use it that much. I would recommend taking walks and maybe buying a yoga mat for your apartment so you can do home body-weight exercises.
- Don’t Compare To Your Friends’ Experience
You will probably have friends studying abroad in different cities, but try not to compare your experience with theirs! Every city is different and everyone will have their own exciting adventures and their own struggles. Don’t waste your time having FOMO!
- Get Comfortable Being Alone!
This one was kind of difficult for me to get used to because I am not used to being alone- especially traveling alone! But sometimes opportunities will present themselves and your options are to be brave and go alone, or miss out on it altogether. This happened to me because I knew I really wanted to travel to Norway, but there were no open weekends left for my friends and I to go. I didn’t have class during the middle of one week so I took the opportunity to solo travel to Bergen, Norway. It was absolutely a highlight of my travels abroad and the most beautiful place I visited! I think solo travel is a really important part of learning who you are and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. Just be sure to do research on where you are traveling and make sure it is a safe place to go alone, and always make smart choices!
Okay, that’s it! Seven of my best tips for making the most of your study abroad experience. I hope you have the best time and find some value in my advice!
