Studying Abroad: The Essentials

In honor of my return to Paris for a little vacation, I decided I would give you some of my tips on making a semester abroad a better experience. I also decided to head from the airport straight to my favorite pub in the city, so perhaps I have bad judgment? I think it’s good, but… that’s up in the air.

By Candy

I did my entire undergrad abroad so I don’t know if I’m qualified to tell you about what to do on one semester overseas. But I have a fairly accurate idea based on the gripes I’ve overheard from visiting students sitting next to me in our school bar. Here are the top three things I can suggest to you to make your time wherever you are slightly better.

1) Make sure you spend some quality time in the city you are studying. You’ll feel pressure to see as much of Europe as possible when you get over here for three months, but take time out from weekend trips to really experience the city you’re in. I met one kid who told me that Paris wasn’t so great, but that he hadn’t really left the area surrounding the school, near where he lived. Excuse me? So take some time with your city—get to know the nooks and crannies. Leave the area surrounding your school, or where you live, and make a point to get lost. Try speaking to locals in **gasp** their language. Try a traditional food on your walk. You’ll never be able to get a good grasp of the place you live in, if you don’t ever explore it, so—get out there!

2) Sign yourself up for classes that won’t bog you down with work. You are here to get school credit, but you’re really here to experience a new place. So don’t sign up for classes that are going to give you a crazy work load. Take painting, or photography—something fun that you may want to try. Or sign up for classes according to the city you’re in. If you’re in Europe take an Art History class. I know that my university takes kids on trips all the time to actually see what they are studying. You’re not looking at the Mona Lisa in a book during a boring lecture; you’ll be walking around the Louvre seeing everything as you learn about it. My freshman year, I had to take Communications 101: The Meaning of Language. Instead of learning about the first printed books, our professor took us to London for the weekend to see them. You know you’re going to want to have more fun than anything else while you’re here, as well you should. Make it happen!

This next one may sound a little weird, but…

3) Identify one Irish bar and when you get homesick, frequent it. I assure you—there is an Irish pub in every single city in every single country. At least all the countries I’ve been to. I don’t necessarily recommend that you make this your favorite spot for the duration of your stay—as I said before you should be experiencing local places— but I do recommend going whenever you feel homesick. Don’t care where you are, visiting students flock to comfort which, if you’re in a non-Anglophone location, is an Irish pub. You will find other English speakers like you there. They will play too much U2. The barmen will most likely speak English. It’s just a nice haven to have when you inevitably get frustrated with being misunderstood. Cause it does get difficult to concentrate so hard on speaking another language. One of my favorite places—and where I met most of my best friends here in gay Paree—is a tiny Irish bar in the heart of the French student district. It is such a mixture of people all the time, but at the end of the day, I could come in and sit down with the boys behind the bar and know that I could just vent. You can always trust the Irish…

Just try and enjoy yourself wherever you go. It is an experience that you will look back on for the rest of your life. Though sometimes I’m upset that I’ve literally never been to a frat party, I would not trade in my time overseas for anything.