It's crazy to think that in a week, I'll be packing my room into one suitcase all over again and heading back to The States from this wild adventure that we call study abroad. I've made awesome (and some not-so-awesome) memories while having the wildest experience of a lifetime; one that I know I'm going to remember forever and talk about constantly upon my arrival home.
That being said, when I started this journey, there were a lot of things I didn't know. I'm not friends with many people that have studied abroad, especially in my major or in the location that I was going to. Now that I've been in England for almost four and a half months, I've experienced a lot of things and learned a lot of things that would have been so helpful to know before I actually left to go abroad.
Because I studied just outside of London, England, most of these things will be tailored to that area, but I'm sure a lot (if not all) of these things can apply to other locations of studying abroad, too.
1. Get a railcard (or some type of transportation card)
For this study abroad, I've lived about a twenty-minute train ride outside of central London. I didn't think I would go into London often enough to justify spending $42 on a railcard, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I went to London probably every two weeks or so, sometimes a lot more, and it would have saved me so much money.
Aside from using it to get into London, I could've also used it literally anytime I took the train around the U. K. and it would've gotten me 1/3 off ticket prices. So make sure you're looking into all of these transportation things if you're going to be studying abroad.
2. Adjust to the timezone
This was a big issue for me being that I have a boyfriend back at home. He doesn't get off of work until 5:30 in the evening, which is 10:30 for me. I got into a really bad habit of staying up to all hours of the night so I would be able to talk to him and my friends.
It wasn't the biggest deal because my earliest class during the week was at 1:00 pm, but I still developed a really bad sleeping schedule.
At least I won't have to re-adjust when I go home.
3. Climate differences can wreak havoc on your body
Being that I've lived in South Carolina for the majority of my life, I wasn't prepared for what the winters in England can do to someone. It's wet, and windy, and miserable. It's mid-May and sometimes it's still pretty cold (when traveling to Scotland, I was still wearing jeans and a big jacket).
The weather can do really gross things to your body if you're not used to it. My hair and skin dried out really bad and I swear I've lived with a stuffy nose for half of this study abroad.
4. Get yourself a good chapstick
This sort of goes with number three, but a good chapstick is such a must for a study abroad. Between the weather and traveling, it seemed like my lips were almost always dry and chapped.
5. If you're going out to clubs or bars, you're probably going to get a lot of attention
Not all of this attention is going to be the good kind of attention that you want to attract, so just be careful. It's weird to travel because suddenly, you're the one that's foreign and has an accent. I don't know what it is, but for some reason, my accent and then me saying I'm an American and I'm from the south made people really intrigued.
6. You're going to face FOMO at some point
We can't all do everything. If a lot of your friends are taking a group trip to the Canary Islands and you absolutely can't because you have too much schoolwork or you can't fit it into your budget, it really will be OK. It seems like a huge deal that you can't go, but in the scheme of things, you'll be so thankful at the end of the trip for where you were able to go that you won't be focused on where you weren't.
7. You'll have a lot of emotions as your study abroad comes to a close
It's weird because at one point you may have gotten really homesick and wanted to return to The States, but by the end of your study abroad, you've started to see that location as another home, too. Whether it's the location, the life you've made and the traveling you've done, or the friends that you're leaving behind, you're going to feel a little bit of a loss when it comes time to leave.
Mixed with that, you'll probably also be ready to go back home for the exact same reasons.
Studying abroad has been so many things but knowing these few things before coming would've made that much more of a difference.