Studying abroad is an opportunity to live in a new city, experience an unfamiliar culture and even pick up another language. Fortunately, the University offers plenty of programs for students to select from to continue their education abroad. Perhaps you have been daydreaming about walking the Seine, eating ramen in Tokyo, or even hiking through New Zealand. If there is a specific country that you have in mind, chances are the Study Abroad office will be able to help you get there.
With plenty of options to choose from based on period of time, type of program and location, the possibilities are truly endless. Faculty-led trips are taught by professors at the University and include a short international trip while intersession trips take place over the summer and January breaks. Want to go abroad for longer? Look into a semester program or even a year-long option in the foreign country of your choosing.
If interested in the longer semester or academic year programs, you will need to consider what the best options are. There are partner programs that offer unlimited spots to students but only allow you to take a portion of your financial aid with you. For students who receive significant scholarship money and grants, this may not be the best option. Instead, you could consider the exchange programs which have limited spots and are more competitive but do allow students to apply 100 percent of their aid money to the program.
Regardless of the Study Abroad program you choose, it is almost certain that you will not come to regret your decision. Emily Lerch is a junior at the University and spent a semester abroad at the American University of Paris. She says, “After I came back from study[ing] abroad, I realized a lot more about myself, my living habits and my day-to-day life in a different place.”
Living in a different country that is far from the familiarity of friends, family, and even cultural norms can be a transformative experience. While abroad you may have completely different experiences and opportunities than you have had in New York. For instance, it is common to go to the grocery store much more frequently than it is in the U.S. Instead of doing one large weekly shop, you may just take a walk down the street and pick up a few items after classes each day. Spending time is a learning curve; you get to learn so much about a different part of the world but also yourself.
While studying abroad may be full of changes and unexpected situations, there is much that you can do to prepare yourself and make the international move easier. Housing will be a big decision to make as you move abroad so it is best to take care of it as early as possible. Will you want to dorm at one of the buildings that your school provides or should you seek out your own apartment? There are also homestays available that will offer a greater cultural immersion as you would be living with a family from the country of your choosing. Or you can rent out an Airbnb for the duration of your stay but do be careful as it is easy to get scammed by greedy landlords.
Be prepared for anything and research as much about the country as you possibly can. I had the fortune to spend five months living and studying in Paris, France. It was as romantic and dreamlike as you might expect but there were some moments that I wish someone had prepared me for. Many of my friends, myself included, got our credit cards hacked while living in Europe. Out of the five of us, only one managed to stay protected. If possible, have as many cards and as much financial accessibility as possible because, for a few weeks, I was living off of Venmo payments and my friend’s good natures.
Though there are certain things to be aware of as you consider spending time in a new country, there are many unexpected benefits to studying abroad. Sabina del Rio, a Senior at the University who studied in Cork, Ireland says that her time abroad was, “A really cool experience. I felt way safer, people were very understanding and open-minded in comparison to what I’m used to here.” It is common to find a greater sense of community outside of your original institution, many students even find that they prefer the cultural expectations of the country that they studied in compared to the U.S.
Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity to explore and learn in a completely foreign environment. It can be a transformative experience and opens your mind to possibilities you thought unimaginable. If you are humoring the idea of studying abroad, I urge you to reach out to their office at the University and discover your options!
