My Time Abroad

It really is. 

I made the decision to go despite my financial woes and concerns and I made it (and had an amazing time might I add). My study abroad office assured me that money was the last thing that I should worry about money.  Considering that there are so many resources and scholarships available for those who are trying to go, they were absolutely right.  So here's a few tips that helped me get ready to go that I think I should share: 

​

1. Do your research

Getting to the country of your choice has all the benefits possible when you forget to take into account if they have a prgram that benefits your major. Make sure that you find a program that will benefit your academic AND life goals. I'm a Fine Arts Major and i found a programthat worked perfectly for me. Im sure you cn find a program for any major.  But you wouldn't want to come back to the states only to find out that you have to take an extra semester because you took the wrong courses while abroad. 

2. Apply for every scholarship

Don't worry about if you feel your grades last semester weren't good enough. JUST APPLY! There are tons of scholarships out there just for studying abroad and I'm sure you'll get at least one.  Check with your school's scholarship department, or websites. There's an app called Scholly that is perfect for this. If you're in Chicago and you happen to attend my school UIC, here's the link to the office of scholarships. I was a recipient of the Gilman scholarship which helps thousands of students to study abroad. Find out more information about it here. 

 

3. Brush up on the Language

Hopefully at the moment of deciding to make your study abroad dreams possible, you've at leasted looked up the cultue of the country. I would recommend learning greetings at minimal. Along with the phrase "I don't speak {insert whatever the language is here} well" and "Do you speak english?. These will help you out a ton. I'm not saying become fluent but bein proactive is major when traveling abroad. Duplingo is a free language app and it works WONDERS. I highly recommend it.  

​

4. Pack LIght

The cost of luggage is not cheap. Not to mention, while abroad you acquire so much stuff to add to the luggage weight that you will find yourself scrambling to ship things home before the airline hits you with an extra $200 charge. Check the weather for that country and just rotate a few pair a jeans with tops. Trust me. you'll thank me later. 

​

5. Breath 

It seems like a daunting situation, but don't let your brain fool you. You got this in the bag. 

​

​

Check out some of my pictures below!

​