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Category Stories: Alumni Reflections

  • How Studying Abroad has Everlasting Impacts on Your Life-long Goals

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    How Studying Abroad has Everlasting Impacts on Your Life-long Goals

    You studied abroad, now what? The return home from studying abroad was a whole bag of mixed emotions, spanning from intense sadness to extreme joy. I was upset to be leaving such a beautiful and naturalistic country, but also happy to return home to the comfort of my family and friends. This “bitter-sweet” experience lasted…

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  • What Studying Abroad Taught Me About Learning a New Language

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    What Studying Abroad Taught Me About Learning a New Language

    Doubt “Sí, se puedes.” These are the words that hung on a poster on the back wall of Rodney’s (my IFSA Resident Director) office. The phrase means “Yes, you can” in Spanish.  However, as I sat in front of Rodney, nearly in tears, I could not bring myself to believe these words. I had been abroad in…

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  • STEMing Abroad!

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    STEMing Abroad!

    I remember turning up an extra ten minutes early and as I stood outside my professor’s office, and I was super nervous—what was my first tutorial at Oxford going to be like? By Sophomore year, I knew I wanted to study abroad, but because most of my college’s programs were generally catered for Engineering students,…

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  • How Immersing Myself in the Buenos Aires Theatre Scene Made My Abroad Experience Special

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    How Immersing Myself in the Buenos Aires Theatre Scene Made My Abroad Experience Special

    Buenos Aires is a city overflowing with an abundance of cultural, political, and artistic expression. One of my absolute favorite things about Argentina’s capital is not only the enormous quantity of artists– performance artists, visual artists, musical artists, and more– who inhabit the city and make creation commonplace, but the sense of true appreciation for…

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  • The DOs and DON’Ts of Studying Abroad

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    The DOs and DON’Ts of Studying Abroad

    1. DO make new friends as soon as possible. This photo was taken a mere 4 hours after I landed in Sydney for my program orientation. When I first arrived to the hotel, I was scared, tired, and worried about having to make new friends.It is always hard to leave your friends at home and…

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  • How to Eat Your Way Through Oz

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    How to Eat Your Way Through Oz

    Hi! My name is Emily Eilertsen and I’m a student at Skidmore College. Last spring semester I studied abroad in Melbourne, Australia. I’m a big foodie, so cuisine constituted a significant part of my experience abroad. Here’s a brief report of my findings! Bon Appétit! #1 Delve Into an Outback Burger Though this particular burger was…

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  • Why Studying Abroad Was About More Than Me – A Digital Story

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    Why Studying Abroad Was About More Than Me – A Digital Story

    “I’m so glad my decision to study abroad provided my dad and brother with the opportunity to visit Australia as well.”Margie Hislop originally formed questions about her abroad experience based on her own personal experience, not remembering that her inspiration to go abroad stemmed from her father. https://youtu.be/5oSUO9DbE74 Margie Hislop is a Psychology student at…

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  • She’ll Be ‘Right – A Digital Story

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    She’ll Be ‘Right – A Digital Story

    “Those small changes to my lifestyle ended up having huge impact on my time in Australia and beyond.”Lindsey Nestor was able to find a balance in her usually stressful lifestyle while studying abroad in Australia. https://youtu.be/B9DJvPDPkzQ Lindsey Nestor is a Mechanical Engineering student at Vanderbilt University and studied abroad in Australia and the University of New South Wales with IFSA in…

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  • The Empty Barcelona – A Digital Story

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    The Empty Barcelona – A Digital Story

    “I challenged myself to capture the most crowded areas of Barcelona from a human-free angle.”Abby Muehlstein was originally overwhelmed by city life in Barcelona, but grew to love it. https://youtu.be/7agkpZzfDnk Abby Muehlstein is a Psychology student at Duke University and studied abroad in Spain in the Engage: Barcelona program with IFSA in Fall 2016.

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  • How an Introvert Survived Study Abroad

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    How an Introvert Survived Study Abroad

    Walking off the plane to see my mom waiting for me in Charlotte, NC made a huge smile wipe across my face.I hadn’t seen her, or any of my other friends and family for 5 months. It felt wonderful to see them, but there was also a biting sadness in the back of my brain,…

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