If you’ve ever considered studying abroad or have studied abroad yourself take a look at the list below. I think we can all relate to similar feelings of anxiety and culture shock when we deciding to pursue this worthwhile experience. Yet, the thoughts of experiencing new places, new people and new cultures are exactly the stereotypical items people mentally check off as the reasons why studying abroad is even appealing in the first place. Follow along as I outline the difficulties you’ll likely face when choosing to study abroad and why those difficulties will all be worth it in the end!
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You’re pretty much making the decision to go to an unfamiliar place by yourself. Based on your own decision to leave.
Not only do study abroad advisers present you with 1,000+ different options, you’re usually stuck deciphering and sifting through all of it. However, having the freedom to choose where you will spend the next 4+ months, and the thought of getting a break from your normal university life is the exact uncertainty some people seek.
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You feel like you’re giving up so much.
Spring Break with your best friends. The homecoming concert. The celebratory last day of classes. Rush Week. Probate Season. Whatever semester you choose to study, you’re most likely giving up something – and supposedly missing out on an opportunity to make memories with your fellow collegiates. Never fear, you’ll make even more, unique memories outside of your university walls. You’ll make memories that will connect you with individuals across the world, helping form your own appreciation of new cultures and nationalities.
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Homesickness before the flight even leaves.
Unless you’re made of money, you can’t just decide to fly home for the holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter. And while social media sites like Facebook and Instagram can make you feel like you’re at home, they also do a pretty decent job at making it feel like it’s the farthest thing in the world. At the same time, your own social media profiles will be amazing! Think of your Instagram captions: “Casually dining in front of the Eiffel Tower,” “Keeping time with Big Ben,” “Just rode an Elephant.” You get the point. Studying abroad is a great way to try new things and own the right to brag about it!
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The language barrier.
Moving to an unfamiliar place can be scary. Moving to a place where you don’t know the language or culture? Even scarier. Now, this won’t be a problem for you thrill seekers. In fact, the best statement I ever heard, “There’s so much to see!” best encompasses the reason why taking advantage of any study abroad opportunity is a perfect way to challenge yourself and go outside of your normal environment.
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The “Can I really do this?” Syndrome
Everyone has, at some point, asked himself or herself whether they were really up for the challenge. Studying abroad seems to bring fear out in a lot of us. Can we really handle going away, to a different country, living with people we don’t know? It’s that little voice of self-doubt that creeps into all of us that seems to really appear while making the decision to study abroad, but if can you answer that question by saying, “Yes, I can,” and really mean it you remove that last traces of self doubt standing in your way. Furthermore, when you decide to travel, you challenge yourself in ways unimaginable and you grow into a better version of yourself.