With Thanksgiving break, finals, and the end of the semester quickly coming around the corner, a whole new batch of eager sophomores are preparing to jet off across the ocean to spend a semester abroad. Here at SLU, most students at choose to study at our school's Madrid campus. However, other popular destinations include London, Rome, the Gold Coast of Australia, Galway, Lyon, and Hong Kong.
Throughout the year, you can find Billikens really anywhere in the world. For my semester last year I chose to do the program in London, and it was, without a doubt, the best experience of my life. It is so crazy to think that it was almost a year ago that I left for my semester abroad, but I am so excited for all my friends going abroad next semester! So, I hope to offer these tips to help you all on the greatest journey of your life so far.
1. Have a passport. I know this seems obvious, but do not wait until the last minute to get this.
2. Make copies of your passport, they will come in handy for getting around Europe and are good to have in case of emergencies.
3. Make sure you know what documents you will need to get into the country where you are studying. Students going to Spain need a Visa. I didn't need one, but the United Kingdom requires a letter of acceptance to your program from your school if you are a student studying there. Every country is different, so be prepared. If something is unclear, contact the SLU study abroad office.
4. Try to get a credit or debit card with a chip in it. People in Europe do not know what a swipe card is. It will just save you a lot of hassle.
5. Write down the address of your school, host family, or wherever you are living so that if you get lost you can ask for more specific directions.
6. You will get lost at some point. It happens to everyone. Take it as a learning experience, but do not be afraid to ask locals for help to get around.
7. If your phone provider has a reasonable international plan, go ahead and get it. However, you will be fine without one.
8. Take advantage of wi-fi for your phone. McDonald's and Starbucks exist in every country, and they almost always have free wi-fi.
9. If you need directions, get them on your iPhone in a place that has wi-fi, and the directions will still be there once you leave.
10. Get a durable phone case. You seem to drop your phone much more while abroad.
11. Take advantage of EasyJet, Ryan Air, and other budget airlines because they will be your lifesaver when it comes to your travel budget.
12. Before you fly, make sure you check how many bags your airline allows. Budget airlines are not that understanding about large amounts of luggage, and some only allow for one bag as a carry-on.
13. Stay in hostels. They save you money.
14. Everyone either seems to love the hostel experience or really hate it. I was a bit more on the hating side, but in retrospect, it was good to get outside of my comfort zone.
15. Hostels also normally have free breakfast. I like anywhere that has free breakfast.
16. Ask the people who work at the hostels about tips for getting around and things to see. They are always super nice and helpful.
17. Make sure you check if your hostel room is co-ed or not. Some people do not care, but it is a rude awakening if you're not up to bunking with the opposite sex.
18. Use hostelworld.com to check reviews and pricing of hostels.
19. Some hostels have a curfew. Keep this in mind if you decide to take advantage of the lower drinking age.
19. While we are on the subject, just because the drinking age in Europe is 18, that DOES NOT mean you can just go crazy. Highly inebriated American college students and foreign European cities generally are not a good mix.
20. Be smart when you go out and always stick with someone. There are some creepy men in Europe.
21. It is fine to have American pride, but try not to be super blatantly American. Europeans have this super weird American radar, and they can always tell by just looking at you that you're an American.
22. Try to learn as much as you can about new cultures and meet people in the country you are studying and places you visit. It is one of the biggest ways to grow while abroad.
23. Do not forget to explore the city and country where you are studying. Traveling can be really great, but do not neglect the beautiful place that is right in front of you.
24. Remember the names Zara, Topshop, and Primark. You likely will be spending a lot of your money at these places.
25. I did not have a host family, but from what I have heard from my friends, it is good to remember you are a guest in a person's home. Be polite and gracious to them.
26. On the opposite end, if your living situation is really not working out, it is OKAY to switch host families or roommates. I know lots of people who did, and they were much happier. You are already far from home and adjusting to a new place so where you live needs to be somewhere you feel comfortable.
27. Most European cities have really good and safe public transportation. Learn how it works and how to get a card or ticket for it. It is the best and cheapest ways to get to places that are not in walking distance.
28. Know the schedule of the public transportation. In London, the tube stations closed after midnight, so you had to make sure you had a way to get back home if you were out late.
29. Eat at McDonald's! I know this sounds silly, but it changes in every country to reflect what is popular in that place. It is a fun and inexpensive cultural experience!
30. There are lots of free fun things to do and places that offer student discounts! Take advantage of these as much as you can.
31. Pack less than you think you will need. Believe me, you will come home with more than you came with.
32. Bring lots of things you can mix and match and things that are versatile.
33. Know the weather of the country you're traveling to and how it will change during your time there.
34. Wear several layers on the plane ride, including your coat and heavier shoes, to save room.
35. Study up a bit on the fashion and style of the place you are going. Other countries generally dress up much more than the US, and you will stand out like a sore thumb if you go to class in your sorority t-shirt or Nike shorts.
36. There are clothing stores outside of America. If you forget something, it is not that big of a deal.
37. You can use Hola to access Netflix while abroad.
38. Do not be worried when you see KFCs all over Europe. For some reason, they all love KFC.
39. Do at least one kind of expensive thing, like staying in a nice hotel or seeing a cool show, during your time there. You don't know when you will be back.
40. Make it a goal to cross off some big thing off your bucket list.
41. Do research and prepare for the city you will be studying in so you are prepared when you arrive.
42. Even if your friends study in a different country, you can still meet up in other countries for weekend trips and visit each other. One of my best friends studied in Madrid, and we did many of our trips together even though we were in different places. It worked out well!
43. Facebook Messenger is a great form of communication.
44. Make time to e-mail and Skype your parents. They want to hear from you.
45. Remember, study abroad is still school. Do keep some focus on your academics.
46. However, if you have the room in your schedule to do so, try and take 12 credit hours to put less stress on yourself. It is not an option for everyone, but it can be a good idea if you are able to do it.
47. You will not feel that homesick until a few weeks into the semester. It is okay to miss home.
48. Keep a journal to document your experiences and take lots of pictures!
49. Buy a few stupid and useless souvenirs because they are fun.
50. HAVE THE BEST SEMESTER EVER!
