Junior year.
The year marking your halfway point of college... (well jeez, Kerre, could you maybe not mention that right away?! Terrifying, I know, but you're welcome), and the year a majority of college students spend half studying at home, and half studying abroad.
We've heard all the stories and Instagram has shown us all the pics.
Italy! Spain! England! Australia! You name it and students have traveled to it.
And living in these places for an entire semester in college? That is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not everyone gets.
So as you continue to weigh the pros and the cons, and the spring semester seems to creep closer, keep these simple 6 suggestions in mind as you prepare to study in the foreign country of your dreams.
Don't take for granted your regular, daily routine, and those in it.
Hanging with friends? Sure! Seeing family? Of course! But this really means spending as much time as you can with your dog. (Because cats could care less if you disappear for five straight months, and you know it.)
Eat at all your favorite American food places.
Savor those sweet sips of Dunkin, and dig into that Chick-Fil-A. You are going to miss these local food chains sooner, than later.
Save your money.
The items you want to buy here will instantly be cooler if you wait to buy them over there. So in the meantime, that ice cream can wait, Billy. Now's the time to work, work, work, work, work.
Clear up your storage.
The last thing you want to do is to run out of storage abroad. Were you really in front of the Eiffel Tower? Did you really go inside the London Eye? Pics or it didn't happen, ladies and gentlemen!
Focus on the now.
As much fun as it is to plan for your travels abroad, remember that you still have the entire fall semester lying ahead. Use going abroad as a motivator, and not a distractor.
Be excited.
When is there another point in your life where you can put the current life you're living on hold and begin a new one in a completely different country? Be excited and be patient - There is so much good coming your way.
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Small disclaimer: This article is for those going abroad and considering going abroad - and I am still very much considering. This is in no way my "secret" reveal that I have committed to going abroad in the spring. Sorry friends and fam, but we're just going to have to wait and see!
