<p>Hello everyone! I'm planning on studying abroad next year, but I'm wondering which amount of time would be better for my language skills and college/personal life. </p>
<p>I'll be a sophomore, and I'll either be studying in France from September-June or January-June. I'd be 19 if I started in the fall, and I turn 20 in the middle of January. </p>
<p>My main goal is to go in and come back advanced in French. I know it's a lot to expect from a first year, but my professor has faith that I can do it. She said that going for any amount of time will help with my skills but that going for an entire year really makes you "live" and "be" it. If I don't go the whole year, I'm afraid I won't master the language, but I'm worried that I'm too young and would struggle with being on my own. </p>
<p>What do you all think? Thank you for your input.</p>
<p>You will struggle with being on your own. And that’s the whole point. You grow by facing challenges and overcoming them, or facing challenges and learning what you’d do different next time. If you wait until you are confident you can handle problems with aplomb then you will wait forever.</p>
<p>We can’t give links to blogs on this forum, but if you search for “benny foreign language” you will find his blog. And his point, although he’s talking specifically about language learning, is that you just go with it. Too many adults decide to wait until they’re very confident in a language to start using it, which means they never start. This is germane for you in regards to travel. Do you know every French custom? No, but you don’t need to. Accept that you will stumble at times, commit faux paux, sometimes be homesick, etc. But you will get survive, and have a blast overall doing it.</p>
<p>Now I don’t know you, nor do I have a crystal ball. So any predictions of your future are pretty sketchy. But if you’re like most people this may be the only chance you get to spend so much time abroad, studying a language that you love. Grab as much as you can!</p>