3 Tips for Studying Abroad

By Jordan Bissell on July 14, 2014

Although the summer study abroad programs are wrapping up, many students choose to spend the longer semester living and studying in a foreign city.  While this can certainly provide a unique education experience, perhaps the most important lesson comes from what happens outside the classroom.  Here are 3 tips for studying abroad that I’ve gathered from my recent time studying abroad in Oxford, England.

1.  Be crazy

Now I’m not talking about walking alone inebriated in a dark alley.  Be crazy in the sense that you try new things (cliché, I know).  For instance, I got the opportunity to go see an avant-garde play.  I’m all for the theater, but I’m not quite sophisticated or hipster enough to appreciate the more artsy shows.  Nevertheless, I knew that I might never again have a chance to sit in the National Theatre and so I went.  And while I’m sure I didn’t fully appreciate some of the “weirdness” of the show, I loved the electric atmosphere and the passion with which the actors delivered their lines made me fall even more in love with London–something that probably wouldn’t have happened as quickly had I confined myself to the more traditional tourist attractions.

The National Theatre

2.  Follow the locals

Because of all the hype that certain popular locations receive, visitors to a foreign country often spend most of their time seeing national monuments or museums or famous graves–sometimes missing things like hole-in-the-wall pubs or craft fairs that give a better idea of how the majority of people in that city actually spend their time.  For instance, when I went to England, I experienced more British culture through visiting small pubs, fish-and-chip food trucks, or local parks than I ever did touring the Tower of London.  Ask your waiter or cashier where you should go and you’ll likely get an incredible experience.

A tiny, underground coffee house in Wales

3.  Find a good balance

Balance was key for me while studying abroad.  If you eat too many scones (and I sure wanted to), you’ll most likely either feel sick or you’ll miss out on some other great local foods.  If you focus too much on acing that Tudor Stuart history paper, you might not have time to go see a cricket match.  If you spend hours every night at a local nightclub, you may not have the energy to do your assigned reading.  Have fun, do some educational touring, work hard in your classes, and try to take care of your body as well.  I know that sounds like a crazy amount of things to do in such a short period of time in a foreign country, but you’ll figure it out. Keep your mind open and be willing to work hard, and you should have the best time of your life.  I know that I did.

Tintern Abbey.

Obligatory English phone booth.

Blenheim Palace…Winston Churchill’s house.

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