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Are you unprepared to study abroad?
So CliffsNotes now makes this…
Do you know what questions to ask your academic advisor?
T. O’Rourke
Abroad Diaries, Madrid
Week 1: Pre-departure
September 3-11
Any sane human would start packing no more than two days before a trip abroad. However, I came to the conclusion many, many moons ago that I am a far cry from sane. Evidence for this claim includes my copious use of post-it notes (thank you Arthur Fry), obsessive addiction to sugar (how can anyone go without Swedish fish?), and, more relevant to the present matter, my compulsive need for advanced planning. One could say I started “packing” in mid-June. Why, then, has this past week been one of the most stressful of the year (a close third to finals week and The Bachelorette finale)? Even the most detailed lists of clothes, travel documents, and precise amount of Luna bars needed to see me through Ibiza could do nothing to quell my pre-departure jitters. Read More »
I spent the spring semester of my junior year abroad, receiving college credit to essentially—mess around. The four months I spend in Europe were the most amazing times and adventures of my life, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But I can’t say that I wouldn’t do somethings differently, looking back on my time there.
Here’s my list of things to try and things to avoid, so that all you CollegeCandy readers can have the best time ever.
Are you going abroad this semester? Have you been abroad? What tips do YOU have?
Fact: College students love free stuff. Also fact: College students love Apple products.
Now, thanks to Vonage and their new Time to Call App (that makes international calls super easy and super cheap…what up, smart phone-using study abroad ladies!), you can win either a new iPad 2 or a $715 iTunes gift card. And nope, I’m not joking.
Want to learn how to get your hands on some amazing back to school technology? Check out the sites below on the corresponding dates for a chance to enter — and maybe win — a free iPad 2 of your own.
12-16 Aug:
Gear Live
Mobility Site
13-17 Aug:
Neowin.net
Geek in Heels
What the Tech
14-18 Aug:
Chip Chick
Gear Diary
15-19 Aug:
Digital Home Thoughts
Daily Social EN
Smallbiztechnology
16-20 Aug:
AuTechHeads
The Study Abroad Blog
17-21 Aug:
Her Campus
And check back later this month for a chance to win right here on CollegeCandy!
In a month or so, most of us will be packing up giant plastic bins, selling our souls to the textbook companies and spending another year in a tiny dorm room where busy class schedules, procrastinated final papers, unnecessarily long reading assignments and “he-said-she-said” drama will run our lives. We’ll endure this routine lifestyle for four long years all in hopes that we walk away with a sheet of paper that claims we know a thing or two about business, communications, biology, etc. But do we really? And will anyone ever actually care about said sheet of paper?
Dale Stephens, a 19-year-old self-proclaimed “education expert” who’s been featured on CNN, Tech Crunch and the New York Times (just to name a few), begs to question the significance of a degree in today’s entrepreneurial economy. Along with his colleagues Erich Sparks and David Mattingly, Stephens has developed Uncollege, a program that promises a full college experience that requires no tuition, textbooks, classes or dorm rooms.
So what’s the catch? That little sheet of paper we all dream of: a degree. Read More »
I had the time of my life abroad this past semester. I got to travel everywhere, study interesting topics and meet an amazing group of people. But being in a foreign country really made me appreciate America and just about everything I used to take for granted. No, I’m not talking about the cliché of missing peanut butter (which seems to be readily available in a lot of foreign countries these days anyway) but those little things you might never think about until they’re gone and then they suddenly become everything you think about to the point that you want to tear out your hair and scream at an unsuspecting foreign stranger:
1.) Functioning Internet: My friends and family thought I had fallen off the face of the earth. No, Mom we can’t Skype tonight, you should know better than to ask. What? You think I can just get online whenever I please? Right. As soon as I reached Amurica, I opened 12 tabs in Firefox all at once and started googling, just because I could.
2.) 24 Hour Safeways: Don’t get me wrong; I can get down with the idea of siestas. But closing the store around lunchtime? That’s just silly. And to top it off, the supermarkets would close for the day at a pathetic 9pm. The number of times I broke into a sprint to make it to the store, only to find the manager decided to shutdown at 8:52 that evening is remarkable. Needless to say, a lot of pregames were ruined.
3.) Beautiful Green Money: In Europe, if you drop a coin you basically just lost 5 dollars. Euros are all different sizes and colors. The monopoly money was a novelty at first but I grew to miss bills that were a subtle green and all a uniform dimension. Read More »
You lived, you learned, you loved. Now you are back at your home campus and in a total funk. What happened to the campus you used to love and why is everyone rolling their eyes when you start telling hilarious study abroad stories? Coming back home after going abroad can be a surprisingly weird experience and it’s normal to experience reverse culture shock. While it’s great to look back fondly on your time abroad, it’s not okay to spend the next semester sitting on your couch all day, wearing a beret and watching Eiffel Tower specials on TV.
So, wow, can you reconcile your international experience with your stateside college life?
You first need to discard the expectation of total familiarity. Some things have likely changed at your college/home while you were away and you will have some catching up to do. Some changes are positive (a new dining hall or library) and some will be negative (a falling out in your old group of friends, your crush dating what’s-her-face). Remember that spending a semester in a foreign country required some sacrifice, but the experience was worth it.
The most important thing is to find a way to incorporate the positive aspects of your time abroad with the positive aspects of your campus or home life. You can join a culture club or conversation group, share your experiences with other returning students, or broaden your academic interests. I changed my minor to French and Francophone studies as a result of my time in Paris. This decision permitted me to keep practicing my French and benefit academically from the social and cultural knowledge I acquired while abroad.
So, school is coming to an end soon. That’s good, right? Yes…and no. On the one hand, you’re done with paper-writing for a few months. Hollaaaa! On the other hand, you still need to figure out what you’re going to do this summer. Job? Internship? Job and internship?
Yeah, that sounds fun. Not.
The good news is, those aren’t your only options.
What about studying abroad?
Even better, what about studying abroad in the Galapagos Islands?
Yeah, I’m being totally serious. While the rest of your friends are tanning on their front lawns or working at the same CVS they have every summer since high school, YOU could be exploring one of the world’s most biodiversified and beautiful lands known to man! And you can earn 12 college credits while doing it. Not only will you be learning about Latin America and the environment of the Galapagos Islands, you’ll get to surf, snorkel, Scuba dive, hike, bike, horseback ride, and so much more. SO much more. Your summer can’t possibly get any more productive (and awesome) than that. Read More »
The beginning of spring semester marks the time when many of us overpack our bags, triple-check that we have our passports, leave our friends behind and begin a semester abroad. If I learned anything from my two study abroad experiences – besides which bar in Spain serves the best sangria (O’Hara’s in Salamanca) and how to say “where is the bathroom?” in Hungarian (“hol van a mosdo?” for all of you spending the semester in Budapest) – it is that there are certain personality types that can be found in each study abroad group.
Here are a few types of people you will most likely have the pleasure (or displeasure) of getting to know on your study abroad adventure…
The Complainer: Complainers will be in their element while traveling abroad. You would be surprised how many opportunities to complain arise while traveling; train seats can be uncomfortable, pastries can be too creamy (or, god forbid, not creamy enough), flowers can be allergy-provoking, the hostel doesn’t have wi-fi and they can’t get on Facebook, and oh so much more. You may see a beautiful beach in Australia but The Complainer sees a sunburn waiting to happen with a side of “The sand keeps getting in my eyes”.
The “Native”: “Natives” will claim to have a strong connection to the country where you are studying, but such claims will be based on hazy, indirect familial or personal ties. Wait, your great-uncle’s second cousin grew up in London? You’re practically a British native! “Natives” will be quick to correct your pronunciation of the language spoken where you are studying, and will seem to have a superior understanding of the culture (that they will not hesitate to share with the rest of the group).
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