I am currently researching the possibility of studying in the UK & I’ve read/heard about all of the great things about studying aboard (making friends, seeing sights from all around the world, learning about the culture, etc. etc.) but are there any negatives? Is being away from home for months difficult? It would be great to read some experiences with the good & bad so I know what I’m getting myself into.
Thanks!
I’d love to read about those too! Thanks for your post @mcarroll2015
You will get a much better response if you post this on the Study Abroad subforum. This subforum is primarily for international students trying to study (all 4 years) in the U.S.
Ditto katliamom.
But to answer your original question: I decided against studying abroad because it would have interrupted my preparations for graduate school. I was studying a science major in which most courses were taught in year-long sequences, so going abroad would have set me back a year. Furthermore, I was very focused on developing relationships with my professors (for letters of recommendation) - they had just started integrating me into their research groups and introducing me to their colleagues elsewhere - and going abroad would have interrupted all of that.
And of course there’s always the financial aspect. Odds are that you will spend more money to study abroad, which may or may not be a problem for you and your family.
Are you looking to matriculate to a UK school for all four years, or just do a semester abroad in the UK? Also where are you from/what’s your cultural background/how well traveled are you? Those things matter, re: adjustments to make in the UK (so does the 1 semester vs. 3-4 years thing).
Generally, homesickness and culture shock are real. They tend to be less pronounced when you go to an English speaking, Westernized country like the UK, but they still happen. Culture shock has a cycle and you pull out of it eventually, but some people get into a really miserable funk where they hate everything and are really anti-social. It helps if you have an adventurous spirit or a familiarity with the culture beforehand.
Homesickness varies by person. Have you ever done long stay away from home? Summer camp? How did you do? Current technology makes it easier to stay in touch with home while away, but the double-edged sword of that is that too much communication can actually make homesickness–and the worst parts of culture shock–worse. But only the most inflexible people are unable to pull out of homesickness/culture shock to enjoy themselves; generally they pass.
A negative for the UK: it’s expensive. Way, way more expensive than anywhere in the US, so your dollars won’t stretch far. In terms of spending money, you will need $$$ from your parents. A weird but legit negative: their dentistry sucks. Depending on how long you’re there, you will miss your cleanings/the care of your American dentist. I missed my cleanings SO HARD when I was abroad, and came home from the UK with cavities (BOO). (pro: everyone will compliment you on how nice your teeth are) A minor annoyance: things we can buy over the counter here you have to go into a drug store and basically request that the pharmacist sell it to you. So if you have a headache or cramps or whatever, you can’t just buy Advil. You have to describe your symptoms and the pharmacist then sells you your naproxen sodium or whatever. It’s a minor inconvenience.
@proudterrier I was planning on studying for a semester. The program I was specifically looking breaks the time into blocks. One block equalling a 6 week long set of courses. Two blocks equalling 12-13 weeks. Three blocks equalling 18-19 weeks. Originally, I wanted to just do 1 block (6 weeks), but I’m not sure anymore because 1 block is only 6 semester units while 2 blocks is 12 semester units and 3 blocks is 18 units. I want to take as many units as possible so that I am a full time student.
I was raised in Northern California but I now attend school in the LA-Area. I have traveled to near-by states and once out of the country. The longest flight I’ve ever been on was the Phoenix so about 3 hours tops, so I wouldn’t say I am that well traveled… Homesickness wise, living away from home here in LA has been some what challenging but I think I am grasping it well as time goes on. I want to study aboard the fall of my junior year or maybe spring of my sophomore year depending on my required courses.
I mainly want to study aboard for the experience and I have always wanted to go to England/Ireland and I am not sure when I would be able to after college. It is also a good thing to put on resumés as a business major since most companies think globally.
Thank you for your post. I never really thought about the extra costs beyond just the tuition and about drug store differences here and over there.
Though it ultimately can be fruitful in the best way, you can experience culture shock that could put you off from living outside the US. In 1978, when I lived in Germany, I spent a time feeling very angry about the condescension I felt was directed at the US. Now that I’ve lived in Europe for most of my adult life, it makes no difference to me.
Aside from that and expenses, I see no downside to studying abroad. None.
The upsides are way bigger than the downsides. You have to be prepared for culture shock. I would also adivse you take the 3-block option, because in 6 weeks you don’t really have time to “integrate” everything. I’m guessing you’d also get more options in terms of what to study, etc.
Possible negatives: You may indeed be homesick; you might miss the opportunity of taking classes not offered every semester at your home college; you could find grading is tougher than you’re used to, with an impact on your GPA; will all the classes meet your graduation requirements; etc. If you’re there in fall you’d miss out on the traditional American Thanksgiving experience (you prob couldn’t get home for it).
A plus: medical care (aside from dentistry) will be cheaper.
actually you can- it’s just that the brand names are different. If you know that Advil = ibuprofin, and that the main brands is Nurofen, you can pick up a packet in any pharmacy and many other shops. Same thing if you know that Tylenol = acetaminophen, and that the main brand is Paracetamol. Aspirin is Aspirin, though it is also Dispirin.
As usual, @alcibiade hits a crucial, and tricky, point: most Americans aren’t used to being in the minority, and somehow criticisms of your country hit harder when you are away from home. America gets a lot of criticism, at different levels from different audiences. You might be surprised at how strong- and developed- your peers opinions are about US foreign policy. There is predictable mockery of some of our politicians, and an underlying dismissiveness of American ‘culture’. As a grad student I was lectured by my peers on the shallowness of American culture- by people wearing the usual American brands. It can be hard not to feel defensive. On the other hand, most people that I meet in Europe like Americans on a personal level, most of the students that I know would love to live in the US for a few years (but not, they hasten to add, forever), and most don’t get the implied insult when they say (quite genuinely) that you are not a ‘typical’ American!
One thing on expenses: the UK is expensive, but depending on where you are coming for it is not always that much more expensive (London excepted- it is more expensive than NYC), especially as you are unlike to have a car or be paying for housing. One thing that helps balance it, though, is that UK students tend to have even less cash in their pockets than US students. Live the way that they do and you won’t burn through too much money.
I’m with @alcibiade: pretty much there is no overall downside.
“You might be surprised at how strong- and developed- your peers opinions are about US foreign policy. There is predictable mockery of some of our politicians, and an underlying dismissiveness of American ‘culture’.”
This is a very, very good point, and every American going overseas should be prepared for this. Americans are raised with the firm belief that we’re the greatest country in the world. It can be a rude shock for a young person to discover just how much educated, sophisticated and very well traveled foreigners hate our government, our influence and our culture.
It’s even a bigger shock to discover that they have very good reasons for this hate.
But as with much of your education, this knowledge will make you a deeper, more nuanced thinker, so I think it’s a lesson worth learning.
@mcarroll2015 Oh, if it’s just a semester abroad and you are already a college student, you’ll be fine! Study abroad is awesome. Especially if you go as a junior, there’s not much going on on campus that you’ll miss. I’ll second what others have said, re: comments you may hear as an American. I find it’s best to be as politically/historically/socially informed as possible and to be able to jump in and set someone right when they’re being flat out wrong (Europeans tend to have less understanding of some of the nuances of our population size, history and social structures; it’s always interesting discussing taxes and policy!), but generally to keep an open mind. I found it useful to admit all the things that are awful about the US (we have some glaring flaws), but then to always point out the positive (we’re very friendly LOL). And you yourself are an ambassador for the US–be kind, open-minded, positive and informed.
Money wise, just warn your parents about the exchange rate and what you’ll need to spend. The good thing is that often the program fees and such are LESS for study abroad than a semester on campus, which can mean savings on the semester. There are also certain things, like concert and theatre tickets that are way less in the UK than here (I had a serious theatre-going habit over there). But food/drink/clothes/movies, etc. are incrementally more expensive than in LA in general, and made worse by the crappy exchange rate. One of my fave protips, btw, for getting cash: Barclays and Bank of America are sister banks, so you pay no fees to withdraw funds from Barclays if you have a Bank of America account.
@collegemom3717 Very interesting point about being the minority. Though it may be difficult to hear about how people outside of the U.S. view the U.S. I think it will be really valuable to see their perspective since I rarely get exposed to arguments like the ones they may have about our economy/business culture/etc. etc. Also, thank you for the advice about the different over the counter drugs conversions. It will definitely be helpful!
@proudterrier I agree it will be very important that I be up to date on the facts because I am sure there will be moments/debates and I would not want to know facts to put someone in their place if they are not 100% right (though that may happen), but more to make sure I can be active in the conversations. My biggest concern in that I will feel like an outcast considering I am outside of the U.S. and I will be the minority.
Thank you to everyone who responded on the feed! Its great to read other views & I would love if more would write their own study aboard experiences/helpful tips & tricks!
@mcarroll2015 Living abroad (first as a student) was the most important step I took in my life. Besides opening my mind, I was able to find opportunities for work that I could not have imagined possible, enabling me to make a good living in the long term as an expat. Believe me, you will discover things that could completely change your view of life’s possibilities. That is why I encourage anyone to pursue that kind of opportunity.
My D2 spent all of junior year off campus in 2 different programs. They were great for her maturity and she is happy she did it. One downside was that being away meant she wasn’t really eligible for leadership positions in clubs as a senior that she had been involved with.
Also, and this would not matter to most students, finding out if she got Phi Beta Kappa was delayed because you need a certain # of on campus credits to be considered. So she didn’t find out for sure until after last semester senior grades were in, while her boyfriend found out a semester earlier. Which complicated our travel plans a bit to graduation, as the ceremony was a day earlier than other activities. (We decided to travel early, and sightsee if we didn’t have a ceremony to attend – but she made it).
My daughter spent five months in Spain as a high school sophomore. She went through CIEE - it wasn’t cheap, but they did a wonderful job. She received multiple orientations about life in Spain. They emphasized REPEATEDLY that she would go through major culture shock and homesickness. They said she needed to constantly remind herself why she had decided to study abroad, and to just get through that phase. They were right! One thing CIEE mentioned was that Spanish couples typically communicate loudly with each other. They said kids would call home, saying, “I think my host parents are having marriage problems because they’re always yelling at each other!” Anyway, it was a fantastic experience for my daughter. Going off to college will be pretty easy for her now, and she speaks Spanish really well! She later went on a volunteer trip to an orphanage in Peru, and was one of the few Americans who didn’t need an interpreter.
This is a good question to ask because very few students appear to consider that study abroad can (and at certain points almost certainly will) be hard. The fact that you are even considering that there may be difficulties suggests that you will cope with things better than those students who think study abroad is going to be one long party.
There is always an alternative way of doing anything and your way (or the American way) is not always the best. Your way might be considered crazy, excessive, wasteful etc. For example, in the UK usually the heating is turned off at night, no matter how cold it is. This is because it’s really expensive and it’s considered wasteful of both money and fuel to use heat when you are (or most people are) asleep. You would probably not win an argument about this, so I suggest compromise (buy an electric blanket and warmer clothes).
There are a million and one small differences like this (and one of them already uncovered above is learn the actual names of things not just the brands. Brands are not the same in every country. Another one is “Band Aid”. That’s a brand. The item is a “plaster” in the UK), and they vary depending on the country. If you spend your whole time complaining you will hate your experience. It’s important to be able to accept that different does not mean wrong, and might even be better. This is all part of the learning experience.
My daughter is currently abroad in Edinburgh. This has been a great experience for her overall. Some issues - she had no point of reference for her classes and has worried a lot about grades. She is a junior so her profs for year 3 classes assume she has experience with what is expected. (Side note, check the grading scale; her uni treats 70 and higher as an A. She figured this out after freaking out about a 70-something on a paper.) Study abroad could also be difficult if you are working through a pre-med program and working on volunteer hours. Her experience is that undergrad research is rarely available.
In balance, the benefits have well outweighed the negatives.
@2stemgirls - what your D is experiencing seems to happen to about 90% of study abroad students. Even very well established programs do not explain how grading will work (graded abroad? “Translated” by host school to a US grade? Graded by US school? The variations are many) and students almost never ask! This may well be because the majority of study abroad students do not intend to do much studying, but for some this can have very negative consequences (for example lowering GPA may harm future grad school applications).