I Studied Abroad and So Should You

I started thinking about the possibility of studying abroad in 2008 when I was going through UCAS and applying for university.

In my second year I applied and was successful in gaining a place at the University of North Carolina Wilmington for my third year.

It’s pretty nerve racking leaving your home country and moving abroad, away from all your family and friends for a whole year, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding experience.

I’ve benefited from my study abroad year in so many ways – here are some of my top reasons for taking the plunge and experiencing something new!

Experiencing new places and cultures

Each university offers different overseas placements so there is something out there for everyone. I knew I wanted to go to the United States, so I focused my search on schools in places I wanted to visit. The big draws for me were North Carolina, Florida and Massachusetts. You do also need to look at how the classes they offer fit your degree and your future career plans, but the location is so important.

As well as meeting the students local to that state, you also meet lots of other international students from across the world. My school had an international culture fair where reps from each country set up stands promoting their home places and it was great to find out more about life in other countries.

There’s also lots of opportunity to travel during your study abroad placement. I didn’t do as much travelling as I would have liked, but I spent fall break in New York and visited Myrtle Beach and Charleston in South Carolina during spring break. You also get a month travel time at the end of your visa period.

Different class options

Something I really enjoyed about my study abroad placement was that there was such a huge variety of classes to choose from. My degree is in Film and Media Studies and Journalism, so I took classes in broadcast journalism, writing for the web (very useful now obviously), and an editing class where the final project was to create your own newspaper! I even got to take a class specialising in film musicals – ideal for me! There were so many choices that everybody could find something they were interested in.

Classes were all worth different credits, so if you wanted you could even squeeze a one credit class in that had absolutely nothing to do with your discipline. I really wanted to take a wee one credit ballet class in my second semester but sadly it clashed with something else. The only class I took during my study abroad where there was an equivalent at my home university was in screenwriting. The rest were all classes I wouldn’t have had a chance to do otherwise.

Making friends

I met some incredible people during my time abroad. Unfortunately, none of them live anywhere near me, but it’s OK as I have people I can visit elsewhere in the world. Since returning home, I’ve stayed with a friend in London multiple times, stayed with friends in America, met up with friends at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and even attended a friend’s wedding.

The people that you meet on your study abroad year are your rocks. They get you through the tough days when you are homesick or just generally having a bad day. We ate dinner together every single day for nine months, we hung out on weekends, we travelled, we hugged each other and cried on to each others shoulders when our time together came to an end. It’s been almost eight years and I still miss those friends every day.

Life experience

Overall, studying abroad gives you invaluable life experience. It’s something I can put in every job application. I learned so many things about myself during my year abroad. For some, it could be your first time away from home, and your first try at independent living. It had its struggles, but it was worth it.

Above all, you fall in love with a new place, and new people. A part of me will always belong in Wilmington, NC. Last year, Hurricane Florence made landfall at Wrightsville Beach. It was so surreal seeing places I love under water. I feared for the city and I feared for the people who lived there. It really hit me how much I loved and cared for the place I called my home for a year and I’ll be forever thankful to everyone who helped make my year abroad so memorable.

Have you studied abroad, or are you thinking about it? Let me know where and if I can help at all the I’d love to. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and it’s helped me get multiple jobs since. Not everyone gets the chance, so if you do then make the most of the experience and, most of all, have fun!