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Balancing Academics and Exploration in London
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For most students, me included, studying and attending classes isn’t always the most exciting aspect of being abroad. But between all the events and travel, it’s important to make time for academics. Academic culture shock This summer I studied at University of Westminster in London, and one of the things that gave me the most culture…
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I Belong Here: A First-Generation Experience Abroad
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When I first got to Galway, I was so nervous. I kept asking myself, can I really do this? I come from a family of Ethiopian immigrants. As a first-generation student, studying abroad felt impossible. Traveling wasn’t a regular thing for us growing up. Every summer, my friends would come back with stories of all…
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Staying Mentally Balanced During Study Abroad in London
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Mental health abroad is super important to me, especially as a first-generation student. Whether the idea of studying abroad is anxiety-inducing or exciting to you, such a change is bound to cause a plethora of different emotions, and for me this was certainly the case. New friends: an antidote for missing home Studying abroad at…
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How the Challenges of Study Abroad Lead to Growth and Strength
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Studying abroad in Galway, Ireland, was my second time living internationally. The first time, I was fresh out of high school and became an au pair, a live-in nanny, in Rennes, France, for a year. If there is one thing I learned from both of my experiences abroad, it’s that growth comes with discomfort. Most…
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Study Abroad Highlights from Shanghai
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After studying in Beijing last summer, I knew I wanted to return for a full semester abroad in China. Still, I worried that the experience might not live up to last summer. Did I enjoy living in China or was it friends who made it special? Would I be able to form connections as deep…
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Staying in Touch as a First-Time Study Abroad Traveler
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Like me, many students attend college in their home state, for financial reasons, convenience, specific programs, or to stay close to home. I go to an in-state school that’s ten minutes from home. Fortunately, I live on campus and stay away from home as much as possible to develop independence. Still, I’ve felt that my…
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Staying Culturally Connected During Study Abroad
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It’s so exciting to get to know the culture of another country when you’re studying abroad—new food, new music, new people, new landscapes, new everything! But sometimes a wave of homesickness can hit you unexpectedly hard. Here are a few things I’ve been doing over the past year to feel more connected to home and…
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How Studying Abroad in Australia Gave Me a New Appreciation for Sharks
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Surrounded by deep-blue water for miles, the other seven snorkelers in my tour group and I stay completely still and wait. Through our diving masks, all eyes are trained on one spot in the water. I gasp underwater as I finally see it. Emerging out of the deep is the ocean’s biggest fish, a whale…
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How Māori Language Showed Me the Best of New Zealand
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Aotearoa means land of the long white cloud in Te Reo Māori, the language spoken by the indigenous Māori (mau-ree) in New Zealand for the last 700 years. It’s called this because when the first Māori explorers, Kupe and Kuramārōtini, found these islands, they saw a giant cloud over it, signaling a new land. This…
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Creating a Home When You Study Abroad, Wherever You Go
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My initial worries The nerves did not hit me until I was driving to the airport. Just days before, I was texting in the WhatsApp group chat how excited I was to see everyone in Houston. About half the group had a layover in my hometown, and I was ready to take advantage of those…
