Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity that not everyone has, there are important things to keep in mind when traveling abroad to study. I myself spent three weeks in Morocco and two days in Paris over DePaul's winter break and will be returning to Paris this August for a few months. Here are six tips to ensure that you have a good experience while abroad!
- Don’t make fun of people's accents: This is incredibly off-putting and offensive. Yes, the locals notice, and it is rude.
- Positive energy is important: This is especially important if your study abroad is short term (I participated in a three-week one). If one person began to complain, the negative energy either spread, with other people complaining, or people were annoyed by the complaining.
- Try the food: If possible, be flexible with dietary restrictions if you have them, or find ways around those restrictions. Be open to the local food and try to avoid just going for pizza, which you can pretty much find anywhere.
- If possible, choose a non-English-speaking country: Learning or practicing a different language during your study abroad is a great and enriching experience. The best way to learn another language is to be immersed in that culture.
- Travel: Depending on where you study abroad, there could be a number of countries that are cheap and close to travel to. Go now while you’re close rather than go back to America and regret not having taken advantage of that cheap airfare or train system.
- Be nice to the locals: Something I noticed on my winter break study abroad was how open and kind people are. The people in the host country were very accommodating trying to speak English, and it made me think about how rare that is in America. Appreciate the people where you are staying because it is their country, so be polite and say thank you.
