- Studying abroad gives you a chance to re-make yourself. However, there is a fine line between re-making yourself and losing touch with your true self. If you don't have much confidence at home, you can go abroad and because nobody knows you, you can pretend that you are more confident than you actually are. Fake it till you make it, right? The issue comes in when you start hiding yourself from others. It doesn't matter where you go, don't pretend to like stuff just to look cool. Yes, you want to fit in, but it isn't worth giving up the things you love.
- Don't worry about money. It doesn't matter how much you have or don't have, worrying will make everything less fun. I am a big culprit of worrying, and I promise you, it takes away from just enjoying where you are. Be aware, of course. But you can be aware without being obsessive.
- Make friends. Put yourself out there. I know you probably have heard this one a lot, but it holds so much power. The difference between a semester abroad with new friends and without new friends is a vast one. From experience, it doesn't work to just sit in your room Skyping friends from home. It keeps you in a bubble. Even if you just talk to someone in one of your classes, or take walks around campus, or join clubs or a sports team. Be open, be yourself, and you will find friends.
- EXPLORE. The campus. The city. The surrounding area. I have three trips planned for this semester. London, Dublin, and the Isle of Skye/Loch Ness. I am so thankful for having the money to travel because studying abroad isn't just about studying. It is about seeing a world different than your own. Even if the culture isn't much different than your own, it is eye-opening to see the world through a lens you aren't used to. Traveling can also help you to better see the pros and cons to your own culture, because you are looking at it from a different angle.
- It is okay to cry. It is okay to have days where you crawl under your covers and eat pringles. If you have anxiety like I do, these will most likely be weekly occurrences. Before coming here, I told myself I was going to grow out of my anxiety, that I would stop being so full of fear. I haven't. But I have learned that my anxiety is a part of myself. I need to stop trying to push it away and just embrace it for what it is without letting it run my life. And in that regard, when you leave for a semester abroad, you are leaving home, leaving your family, your friends. It is a lot to take in, and yes, it gets overwhelming sometimes. Let it be. Accept that you feel like crying. And then cry. And then stop crying and go out and treat yourself to something that will make you feel better.