Make the Most of Your Study
Even before I knew I was going to UC Berkeley, I knew I wanted to do a year abroad. Now, writing this from London as my year abroad comes to a close, I can honestly say it’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am a junior at UC Berkeley majoring in media studies with a minor in theatre and performance studies, and I’m doing a year abroad through the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) at Queen Mary University of London. While abroad I have traveled to several different countries and other parts of the United Kingdom (UK). I’ve joined clubs, taken unique classes, and made lasting friendships. No one can say I haven’t lived my life abroad to the absolute fullest, so here are some things I did to make the most of my experience.
Choose a Program That Matches Your Interests & Goals
Choosing a host country/university can be overwhelming, but UCEAP has plenty of programs to choose from and can help you find one that’s perfect for you. It’s important to consider what country and weather type you would be happy in, and what program length and university will work best with your degree.
I often get asked why I chose a year abroad. For me it made sense because it would allow me plenty of time to adjust to life abroad, opportunities to get involved on campus, and time to travel. I would be able to make more friends who were locals and see my host country through all seasons. However, a year is a really long time to be away from home and I found myself struggling with homesickness quite often. I also had to go through the process of getting a student visa, which is not necessary for semester students. I was lucky enough that media studies is a major that makes studying abroad very easy, as they encourage it and allow plenty of options for courses taken abroad to count towards the major requirements, but this may not be the case for other majors.
I considered six different countries before eventually landing on the UK. I chose England because having an English-speaking school gave me more options for classes that would satisfy my degree, London was somewhere I had always wanted to visit, and it was close enough to Europe that I could easily travel there as well. Queen Mary University of London had a wide variety of theatre, arts, and humanities courses as well as clubs I was interested in.
You should also consider which option works best for you financially. There are plenty of scholarships and financial aid for study abroad to make this part easier.
Travel Efficiently
One of the best things about studying abroad is the opportunity to travel and explore new places. But it can start to add up financially, and your calendar will fill up quicker than you think. Here are some tips for traveling efficiently and cost-effectively:
- Plan Ahead: Before you go abroad, make a list of the places you want to visit most and when the best times are to visit them. Get as many dates on the calendar as you can, even if they’re just tentative, to make sure you don’t run out of time to go. For example, I went to Vienna, Prague, and Berlin during winter time specifically to see the Christmas markets, and I went to Bath in September to catch the end of the Jane Austen Festival. Planning ahead will also reduce the prices of airplane tickets, as they can get pricey if you’re purchasing at the last minute.
- Limit Return Tickets: Oftentimes, grouping your destinations together into one trip will be cheaper than flying back and forth to each new destination. When I travel, I usually go to two or three cities or a couple countries that are near each other on each trip. That way, we limit the amount of return tickets and free up more time to explore other things. Taking the train between places is super easy, scenic, and usually affordable.