However, whether or not you should study abroad depends on your personal goals, preferences, and circumstances.
Here are some factors to consider when deciding whether to study abroad: Academic Goals: Consider how studying abroad aligns with your academic goals. Will it provide you with opportunities to take courses not available at your home institution, or enhance your major/minor with a global pers GO ABROAD.
GO DIRECTLY ABROAD. DO NOT PASS GO, DO collect some money, but for the love of everything worth living, GO ABROAD. It would do so much more good for your anxiety in the long run. You have to leave your comfort zone to learn to be comfortable with yourself. I am an American who studied abroad for a year in Seoul, South Korea at Kyung Hee University during what was supposed to be my senior year of college, from Fall 2011 until Summer 2012.
This was my first experience abroad. I have social anxiety as well, and I used to have issues about doing things (i.e., grocery shopping, going to a doctor’s appointment, signing up for classes) alone, however, the one thing studying abroad taught me was independence, and loads of survival techniques, especially when I wasn’t proficient in the language of the country (Korean). If you, like me, have trouble doing daily tasks alone, make friends.
As a foreigner in a new place, this is usually SO much easier than at home, mostly because you have New Kid allure. Here are some ways to do so: 1. Join the international club at your host university. This was easy for me, as all of the international students were automatically considered members. They will usually have events where everyone is invited to come along, and these are great opportunities to make some friends and become acquainted to other people who share the same experience of being abroad. This will also help broaden your outlook on life, as usually the international club is filled with, well, people from a variety of nations.
2. If you’re doing an exchange program through your current university, ask the international coordinator to put you in contact with some students who have already gone to the university where you are planning to go. Most, if not all, students who go abroad LOVE talking about their experiences abroad, and the things they learned about the new culture, and about themselves as well; however, few people are willing to listen.
This is a great way to learn what to expect, as well as a few pointers on basic necessities that might be specific to the neighborhood surrounding that university. Ask them to put you in contact with some of their friends (both local and international) that are still at that university! Networking at its finest. OH! Also, ask about formatting of research papers, and ask to see the essays and things they’ve handed in and whatnot– different countries, even if they use English, have different formatting techniques. This is a GREAT thing to be familiar with before you get there. 3. If you’re doing an exchange program NOT through your university, and instead are doing a direct study, you can still contact the international coordinator at the university where you plan to go and ask to be put in contact with other people from your country of origin who have done the same. Again, this has the same benefits as You can ask the same questions that you would ask the person in .
The ONLY reason I say “someone from your country of origin” is that there might be some culture shock issues that someone from other countries might not find any issue with at all. (For example, 3 days after the semester started, I went out to a pub with my American friend and we ordered just alcohol. People stared at us like we were alcoholics.
Any time I meet an American who is going to Korea, I am sure to give them a heads-up about those kinds of tiny, relatively insignificant things that I would be up all night cringing about because of how awkward I felt when it happened.) 4. Meet some people from the country where you will be going through: mutual friends, international clubs, Facebook, Quora, etc.
before you go. This is also a great way to feel more comfortable! You have someone local who could help you out with local issues, like for example, where to buy an outlet voltage converter when you realize you’ve lost yours. (Been there, done that…hahaha) 5.
When you’re finally in the country where you will be going, try to challenge yourself to going out and doing something you’d never do at home. This could be something as simple as asking a stranger for directions, or trying to figure out the public transportation, to something way more challenging like, trying to travel within the country, outside your university’s area.
This is a great way not only to learn how to become independent, but also to realize that you are capable of independence! I can tell you all day that no