I will never forget my first bus ride around the city of Barcelona. That half-hour drive from the airport to the apartment I would stay in for the next four weeks was amazing. I was in awe of the mountaintops, the deep blue sea at the edge of the city, and the La Sagrada Familia towers peeking out between the buildings.
I was truly speechless. I couldn’t believe I was finally fulfilling my lifelong dream of studying abroad. It was all I imagined and more.
My short summer semester at the UCF Barcelona Center in Spain was a life-changing experience. Coming from Miami, the furthest I had ever traveled before Europe was to the Caribbean. During the month I was there, I visited the various landmarks around the city and explored lesser-known locations. I stuffed myself with various regional delicacies and enjoyed some traditional Spaniard Sangria. I interacted with the locals and enjoyed the scenery around me, connecting myself with the city.
Even though I was initially there to study all the world’s cuisines, I gained several life lessons and skills I still carry today. Now, I make more of an effort to balance my work and personal life. To do this, I take breaks throughout the day to free myself from work, walk around my environment, take in all the scenery, and enjoy the meal before me instead of rushing through it. I learned how to make dishes I was delighted with while in Spain, and I found ways to incorporate more of their popular ingredients, such as olive oil and potatoes, into my dishes. Lastly, learning more about Spanish culture allowed me to learn more about my heritage as someone from a Hispanic/Latin background. I was even able to improve my Spanish as I had to use the language to help me navigate my way through the city.
I can’t picture myself ever grasping these concepts in my typical day-to-day environment here in Orlando. While I had other countries where I originally wanted to study abroad, I am so happy my path had taken me to Spain, as I loved every minute there. Now, I find myself encouraging others to do the same.
You may be a bit hesitant to study abroad due to various misconceptions, but they can be easily disproved and can turn into reasons why you should take this journey. Studying abroad is more accessible than you think, with a wide range of courses, financial support options, and opportunities to meet new people.
Here at UCF, an extensive list of classes is offered, covering topics from health to hospitality. While you can choose to sign up for a course that applies to your major, you also have the option to join a general education class. You don’t need to take a course that pertains to your specific field of study; you are free to choose any course as long as you are motivated to learn. Studying abroad is primarily meant to help you grow your knowledge of the world, not just the field you study. Even though I had opted to take a cuisine course that would further my hospitality management degree, several of my peers had other majors, such as engineering and political science.
Another concern many face when applying to study abroad is how to fund the trip, as it can be very costly to leave the country. These people typically think of long-term options, such as a fall or spring semester, since they are more expensive due to their longer duration. However, Summer programs are often much more economically viable, ranging from three to six weeks.
I was at the UCF Barcelona Center for a month, and it was about a third of the cost of a normal academic semester. This still gave me plenty of time to wander around the city and dive into Spain’s rich culture.
Furthermore, there are tons of scholarships offered by the university and several external scholarships for students who dream of studying abroad to assist in paying off the costs. I was able to apply for my Bright Futures scholarship to pay for the course costs of my program. I also met multiple students who were awarded university scholarships that covered a large portion of their expenses. By doing the proper research and applying for these financial awards, you can find ways to lower the program’s costs.
Lastly, you don’t need to go with a group of people to decide to participate in a study abroad trip. You can always choose to go solo by doing programs like foreign exchange, or you can participate in a UCF Center where various students from UCF visit different countries together.
Initially, I signed up alone to go on this trip with the hopes of meeting and interacting with the various other UCF students who would also be on the same journey. Once I arrived, I got to meet and interact with the other 151 UCF students who were either in my classes or staying in the same apartment building. We wandered around the city of Barcelona together and still keep in touch now that we are back in Orlando. Being with UCF students undergoing the same experiences made my first trip without my family less nerve-wracking and allowed me to have a fun time.
All in all, studying abroad is an option to consider if you are ever looking to break free from your day-to-day studies. You can explore UCF’s study-abroad opportunities or consider other programs worldwide; all you have to do is take the risk!