I have always thought that I wanted to study abroad. Once I was accepted to FSU, I looked into their programs and almost instantly thought going abroad would be way out of my reach because of the price. Flash forward to my sophomore year and I am still entertaining the idea because I just changed one of my majors to Editing, Writing, and Media (EWM) and there are EWM study abroad programs that sound amazing.
I went to the 2021 Study Abroad Fair to learn a little more about the programs within my major and after learning more about the program in Valencia I was in love. The EWM major requires several electives and an internship. These elective credits can be filled by the program in Valencia and I learned there was a chance to fulfill the internship credit. I knew this was the program I wanted to do but something prevented me from signing up for the 2022 Summer session.
I decided to wait a year before jumping into such a big commitment. I didn’t feel that I was ready to travel to a foreign country without my family. I also wanted to take more courses within the major before applying to be an intern. Choosing to study abroad accelerated my graduation timeline and that scared me. I wasn’t ready to make that decision as a sophomore. While going in 2022 probably would have worked out fine, choosing the 2023 program felt right.
I have now been preparing for over a year for this trip and I feel more than ready. This will be the first time I have ever traveled alone. This is a big step in life, and I am nervous but ready to make it. I also have a lot more EWM classes under my belt, so I feel prepared to take the classes offered during the program. While we are there, we create a magazine and I’m not sure that I from a year ago would have had any idea where to start. This program will be a resume builder as much as it is a personal experience. I wanted to put my best foot forward and I believe that choosing to wait makes this possible.
Over the last year, I have done a lot of things to prep. I have overanalyzed the weather to make sure I am packing all the necessary clothes. My Amazon wish list is overflowing with recommended items from Youtube, Pinterest, and TikTok. My bucket list for the trip is never-ending. I have worked relentlessly on my writing and editing skills. Perhaps one of the most exciting things that happened during my year of prep was finding out I won an airfare scholarship from FSU International Programs.
Making this decision to study abroad has opened so many doors for me and I haven’t even done the program yet. I joined Her Campus so that I could work on my writing skills in preparation. I fell in love with writing again. I even started a blog to update it while abroad!
If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Formula One. Europe is where a majority of the races take place, so I am hoping to make it to one of the four grand prix taking place during my program. Harry Styles and Niall Horan are both touring in Europe during the summer so I would love to make it to one of their shows as well.
No matter what happens, I know this will be a life-changing experience and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
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