<p>I was just wondering if anyone else was having doubts about going abroad. I'm already accepted into a program for next fall, but ever since I have been so worried about it and not been able to sleep and such. But everyone keeps saying that studying abroad is so amazing, and if I don't do it I'll regret it forever, etc. So I'm just wondering if anyone else is having serious doubts, along the lines of wondering if it's worth it to pull out now or just stick it out and see what happens?</p>
<p>What in particular are you worried about?</p>
<p>Good question. I'm not quite sure. The thought of being over there for an entire semester is just starting to terrify me though</p>
<p>Personally, I am way way excited about studying abroad. I'll only be gone a month though (which I'm sort of disappointed about, wish I could go for longer).</p>
<p>study abroad will be a good experience for you if you let it. I'm sure you will learn alot about yourself. Change is always nerve-racking, but this will be a great way for you to get out of your comfort zone and really explore. Have fun with it! Its okay to be nervous but just tell yourself what an amazing time you are about to have and calm yourself. Have fun! I got nervous before I went on one of my study abroad programs, but once I relaxed it really was fabulous!</p>
<p>Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it</p>
<p>Everyone gets anxious about this sort of thing, it's only natural. Just think about how awesome it is going to be and try to throw yourself into living the study abroad experience. Pretty soon you'll be surprised you ever had any doubts.</p>
<p>I think the whole idea of study abroad is to face those doubts and learn that you can handle a new experience.</p>
<p>You don't say where "over there" is, but unless it's a study abroad program in Iraq, I wouldn't be too concerned about being able to handle it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the perspective, interesteddad :D</p>
<p>I will be abroad all of next year. I'm also terrified. Terrified of being lonely and missing friends, terrified that my language ability isn't good enough, terrified of missing academic opportunities here and being behind when I get back.</p>
<p>I think all these doubts and worries are perfectly normal. In fact if you didn't have any worries, I would suspect you weren't taking the opportunity seriously enough and might be unhappy when it didn't live up to ideals/dreams. </p>
<p>Take comfort from the fact that the vast majority of people seem to have a good study abroad experience, and those who don't mostly survive and learn something from it. Worst case scenario, you hate it and you have to come home. That's not the end of the world. Few places are so inaccessible that you couldn't be home in 48 hours if you really wanted to.</p>
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I will be abroad all of next year. I'm also terrified. Terrified of being lonely and missing friends, terrified that my language ability isn't good enough, terrified of missing academic opportunities here and being behind when I get back.
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<p>You'll handle it just fine. You'll make new friends. You'll learn things you could never learn in a US classroom. </p>
<p>You want adversity? On one leg of my daughter's study abroad, they flew from Buenos Aires to Beijing (thru Miami and Chicago). Twenty four hours of travel time. They arrive in Beijing -- major culture shock -- and my daughter's suitcase was lost. Everything she had packed for the semester. I mean everything. She had her iPod and the closthes on her back (which she had already worn for 24 hours in airplanes). And, to top it off, her homestay was with a wonderful family who didn't speak one word of English! And, she doesn't speak a word of Chinese. She e-mailed from an internet cafe, wrote three lines, and said she had to go or she was going to start crying. </p>
<p>She figured it out. Bought a few clothes. Her suitcase eventually arrived. And, figured out ways to communicate with her Chinese family...using hand signals to specify just how full she was as her "mother" tried to feed her more - hand up to her chest, or her neck, or her head and then breaking out laughing.</p>
<p>You'll figure it all out.</p>
<p>Yes, you will figure it out. Part of the study abroad experience is doing everything without Mommy and Daddy there to guide you along (unless you're super wealthy enough to call them all the time). I navigated Israel with limited English for 7 months and I LOVED IT!</p>
<p>You just have to let yourself go and just ENJOY the experience. Go out and meet the locals, not just the American ex-pats. They'll want to practice English with you anyway and most people actually LOVE hearing about America. It might make you homesick but when you try to describe the US in a positive light, you unconsciously have greater appreciation for what US has to offer. </p>
<p>Even though I had been to Israel for 10 days on birthright, I was still nervous in the months leading up to it. I wanted to stay in Spain where I spent for a week before embarking to Tel Aviv but once I landed in Israel... I had to laugh at myself for fretting over everything. Do what you want to make your host country your home but try new things too!</p>