Walker Newman

Those who study abroad can see sights like the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, pictured here.

The sound of 10 different types of music surrounds me as I push through a crowd of people. I’ve just had the most delicious meal of my entire life — the soft pillows of pasta are sure to revisit me in my dreams. It’s Fête de la Musique: the night on which every city in France plays music all day and night. It’s up to you to last until it stops — which was 4 a.m., in my case. 

Stories like this are what you have to look forward to by studying abroad — a time full of discovery, adventure and challenge. I know it’s scary and that it can seem isolating, but in reality, it’s your time to find yourself. 

I highly encourage everyone to study abroad because, although you may sometimes forget you have class the next morning, you’ll never regret the experience when you get back on campus.

Cons 

To get it out of the way, let’s start with the elephant in the room: it’s expensive. Make sure you budget before you arrive at your new home because there are lots of enticing distractions and goodies on which you’ll spend your hard-earned money. Countless times I let myself get an extra gelato or croissant, and while I wouldn’t change those delectable experiences for anything, my wallet was hard-pressed to forgive me. 

Next up: it’s not all glitz and glamor. While we all think that life is exactly what we see posted on Instagram, it’s not. Predictably, most people only post their highlights — the coolest places they saw and the best food they ate … you get the picture. Of course, this isn’t the reality of day-to-day life in an unfamiliar place, though. Did I get to visit the Louvre Museum in my second week there? Yes. Was I crying out of homesickness? Also yes. 

It’s hard to navigate your emotions and settle in where you feel completely out of place. Aside from the transition, there will be times where your plans don’t work out, and you have to reroute. I sat at a train station for seven hours after my friends and I couldn’t figure out how to get from our station to the one we needed in time. 

These difficult or unexpected moments — while not so fun in the present — make for great stories after everything works out, so let’s get into the pros. 

Pros

The specific program I experienced was one that combined students from multiple schools around the world in classes together. I got the chance to meet people who quite possibly changed the trajectory of my life. Here’s a lesson to be learned: You never know who you’ll meet halfway across the world. I even went to visit some of them over Fall Break.

While it might be daunting to open up to new people in a foreign country, the connections that you can form are priceless and will last a lifetime. It isn’t every day that you can stroll around a barren, French city at 3 a.m. with new friends, hearing your laughter bounce off of the beige stones, feeling like anything is possible. 

You also won’t ever again have the chance to walk downstairs in your host family’s home to a beautiful breakfast of a fresh baguette, jam, coffee, tea and fresh fruit. Host families mean experiencing authentic life — in my opinion, it is only by living with one that you experience the true culture of a nation. 

I’m not talking about the stereotypical “10 Things French People are Known For;” I’m talking about the aspects of daily life you can only learn by actually experiencing them. For example, I learned that French people almost exclusively air-dry their clothes, sneakers aren’t actually a faux pas, the French walk everywhere and yes –– dinner is at 8 p.m. or later and lasts at least two hours. 

When you’re not sharing stories with your host family or attending class, studying abroad is the prime time to travel around the region in which you are living. Regardless of where you find yourself, travel is one of the most important things that living abroad offers. 

I got to swim in the Atlantic from the other side of the “pond,” a well-deserved treat after my friends and I waited hours for a delayed train. The chilly, crystal clear water revitalized me for the rest of our time there. I got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle just after the sun had set — the moment no less magical than you’re likely imagining it. 

When class lets out on Thursday or Friday, make sure that you jet off somewhere cool for the weekend! 

The thought of traveling more or less alone or just with friends can be nerve-racking, I know. However, building the confidence to plan trips, budget and experience new cultures is something that many people don’t get to experience, which brings me to my final point: confidence.

This one doesn’t only apply if you are adventuring to a place where you aren’t yet fluent in the language, but confidence is something that grows through practice. When I first arrived in France, I had no clue what anyone was saying for two weeks. Slowly, I realized that it wasn’t taking so much effort to comprehend, and I could actually respond semi-coherently.

Having the confidence to speak to my host mom, order a sandwich in a public market and navigate life in a foreign language has made me all the more confident in English. 

Studying abroad, even just for the summer, offers immense potential for self-growth because you have a chance to navigate foreign countries and cultures, learning about your own strengths and weaknesses along the way. 

Daily life will offer you tests of confidence and challenges surpassable only by trusting in yourself and the people around you. The friends you make on that path can last you a lifetime, because who else would know what a “Night at the Gangette” means? 

When all is said and done, you can feel a sense of accomplishment knowing you figured it out, and if you can figure it out in a foreign language, then you can do anything.