As a college student, study abroad is something that is always talked about. It is something that almost seems like a right of passage, and you take the semester to grow and mature as a person. There was a time that I considered not going abroad because I was worried about missing out on school, my friends, and the social life that I was going to leave behind. However, after going through this experience, I would never advise someone to skip this opportunity. I've learned more about cultures and life in the last 5 months than people do in their entire lives. Find below what I've found most important about studying abroad:
Learn
School in Europe is entirely different than school in the United States, even if the university advertises as an "American University". You will learn more about education, learning styles, and schooling more than anything that you can read in a textbook. You will become super grateful for your priveleged academia experience at your home university.
Travel
There is no better way to become culturally aware of other cultures than to immerse yourself in them completely. Traveling abroad is the perfect way to be able to understand how other cultures work and how they are so completely different from the United States.
Something that people don't always realize is that picking where to study actually has a lot of factors that come into play. I personally didn't think of any of these reasons. I realize, now, how important these factors are in making your decision on where to study abroad. If you are interested in traveling a lot, the number 1 thing that I would advise is to pick somewhere that has a big and easily accessible airport. The bigger the city, and the bigger the airport, the more available flights you will be able to choose from and the cheaper they will be. If you are worried or nervous about a language barrier, either choose a place that is an English speaking country or dedicate yourself to learning the language. No matter where you go, you will be able to pick up conversational language and words to get you by. Don't be afraid of trying something new, even if you don't become bilingual at the end of your abroad time.
Save the warm places you want to go for warmer weather! This is so important I can't even stress it. If you want to travel to Portugal, wait until end of March or April. You will have a completely different experience than if you decide to go in February.
Always exchange money in the currency you are going to travel to in the city you are staying in. No matter what anyone says, the airport rates are a ripoff and you do not want to be stuck loosing hundreds of dollars in conversion fees.
Speaking of conversion fees, get a credit card with no international fees. Believe me, whatever it ends up costing you will be worth it. Everything has international fees.
Get a traveling backpack! This will be your absolute lifesaver. Ditch the idea now about a rolling backpack or suitcase. The backpack will teach you to pack light! I don't know what my abroad experience would be like if I didn't have this backpack. (Ok yes mom you were right)
Always remember that you are NOT in the United States anymore. Sometime it's easy to forget, but you are entering into someone else's culture. Don't be the stuck up American who thinks that it is all supposed to be handed to them. You are supposed to feel uncomfortable in this new environment. That is what being abroad is all about. Learning about the World and being culturally aware of others.