Top 10 Study Abroad Tips
1) Say yes unless you need to say no
If someone is trying to make plans with you say yes unless your gut feeling tells you no. Going out and taking advantage of opportunities can go a long way. Always trust your gut feeling. If something feels wrong or dangerous, do not do it.
2) Learn the language of the country you will study in
Taking the two months before I departed for Korea to learn the Korean alphabet, how to read, understand basic phrases, etc. helped me a lot. I downloaded Duolingo which I had never thought of using, but it only takes 10 minutes daily to learn so much. Super easy and fun! This is also important and can help when you communicate with someone in a different language abroad (and you will confront this situation multiple times). Translators help, but being able to communicate without one is more effective and it goes a long way with locals who will appreciate it more.
3) Stay out of your comfort zone and be open-minded
This is the best thing you can do to help yourself grow and learn. It may seem scary, but it is something that needs to happen. Make decisions for yourself and not because others are making those decisions. Be a leader, not a follower. Be decisive and confident in what you choose. Be open to making mistakes and embarrassing yourself sometimes. Humbling moments are inevitable. Everyone has them, and you are no exception, so just embrace them and learn from them.
4) Do research
Research the places, you want to visit, the culture, and lifestyle, and prepare as much as possible because you WILL NOT have time when you arrive. Organizing spreadsheets, creating lists, noting times, locations, etc., will help you more than you think. There are small things you might not think about.
Example: Most currency exchange places in South Korea will not give you the full value of what you are exchanging unless it is in $100 bills.
In other words, if you bring money to exchange abroad (which you should), bring a lot of it in nothing less than $100 bills.
5) It is okay to rot once in a while, despite what people might say
Many people told me to be out and about every day, but everyone is different and has their own way of energizing themselves. Do not force yourself to do something just because you feel obligated; you will not enjoy it. Do things because you want to and are genuinely curious. Bad days are not limited to being at home; they can happen abroad, too. Take time to rest and try not to feel pressured.
6) Make friends
Try to meet new people and build new relationships because you never know what will come from it. It is tricky because it is hard to make new friends at this age but this is especially important if you travel alone. Do not force new relationships, but do not avoid them either. The most important thing when building a new relationship is being yourself. Not everyone will like or click with you, which is okay. It happened to me a lot. Be patient and you WILL find the people you are meant to be with.
7) Spend time alone
I learned the most about myself when I was hanging out by myself. This can be in any form:
Taking a walk by yourself
Going to a cafe and studying by yourself
Going to the Cheonggyecheon stream and editing videos by yourself at the outdoor library
Going to a park and journaling
Sometimes it is lonely I am not going to lie, but it is healing and I found that spending time alone was good for me to reflect on what I have done, take it all in, and be grateful. You will find that there are a lot of other people who also go out alone around you.
8) Read through application instructions for EVERYTHING
You are not going anywhere without worrying if you do not listen to/read all instructions and feedback that you are given. Take everything with a grain of salt but do not be careless. Many mistakes I made (my arc story) could have been prevented if I had done more research.
9) Be respectful
Everything is different. You are not at home. This one is a given but people need to be reminded sometimes. Try to understand social norms and lifestyles as fast as possible so you know what to do and what not to do.
10) Do not waste time overthinking or stressing
I did what I wanted to do so I barely have regrets. However, there were times when I would let my anxiety prevent me from doing things I like in situations where I could have prevented that from happening. You have full control of yourself and what you do and free will. If you ever catch yourself overthinking just remind yourself to take it easy and that it is what it is. I am referring to my MAMA situation. I was so stressed that I did not allow myself to explore Osaka while I was there..... but this happened more than once. Either I did not allow myself to do things or I could not enjoy what I did because I was too busy stressing.
