Beyond The Classroom: Make The Most of Your Fall Study Abroad

By Julia Dunn on August 20, 2015

We all know that learning isn’t limited to a classroom, and there is truth in the cliche that falls somewhere along the lines of “the real world is the best classroom.” The tools necessary for life come from actually experiencing life!

If you’re taking your student life to the next level and studying abroad in the fall, this notion will play out during your trip as you pick up tons of novel perspective and insight into other parts of the world. But how do you really make the most of your fall study abroad experience?

Here are a few guiding principles.

Talk to people.

Woman sewing in Thailand
Image Via: www.pixabay.com

We learn the most from listening firsthand to other people’s experiences. In a new country, you’ll hear a number of zany stories from locals who may have gone through situations you might never encounter in your home country.

When was the last time a monkey stole fruit from the backseat of your car in America? Someone in Thailand may just be able to answer that question from actual experience.

Write down everything you see, hear, and do.

Even if you’re “not a writer,” write everything down. Write down the details of the weird street signs you see in your new study abroad country, write down cool expressions you hear natives using, and write down how you felt in certain situations where you couldn’t understand the language being spoken around you.

Not only will writing these things down help you to process and internalize what you’re learning, but you’ll have a great log of information recorded from which you can draw for essay content, job interviews, and any other opportunities you may pursue as far as internships or research.

Now, you will have an answer prepared for when an employer asks you about a challenge you had to overcome, or to describe a time when you felt lost (emotionally or literally) and were able to overcome the challenge.

Go to local events.

Farmer’s Market
Image Via: www.pixabay.com

There’s no better way to learn about a new culture than to observe local events and take part in activities that may be specific to one particular country. If you’re in England, try checking out a cricket match–it’s a cool bat-and-ball game that dates back to the 16th century!

If you’re somewhere in Asia, try going to an open market or street event during which you can try lots of new food. “Life happens outside your comfort zone” (again, cliche but true) so do your best to test your comfort zone while studying abroad. You will not learn nearly as much if you do not.

If you have a host family, take advantage of their perspectives.

Your host family may have lived in the area you are visiting for quite some time. They may have seen historical events in that country, or have keen insight into news items that affect them in a certain way.

You will learn a great deal about different societal matters in the country from getting to know your host family and taking the time to ask them questions, if they are comfortable with you doing so. There is truly no better way to learn history than through talking to people who have seen it firsthand–forget the textbooks in your home country!

It is also important to communicate with your host family about any concerns you may have about spending time in your town. If you need help with transportation or navigating the city at all, a good source for information will be your host family. Furthermore, make sure you respect your host’s personal or cultural customs that may be brand new to you.

If there are certain expectations that your host family has of you, try to be mindful of the way you behave, what you say, and how you handle certain scenarios that may play out differently than you may be used to. These moments will be incredible teaching instances.

Practice spontaneity.

Some of the best experiences come from days you didn’t plan on doing anything, or planned to do something else but received a spontaneous offer to do something super cool. If someone you just met in downtown Paris invites you to a music festival 20 minutes before it starts, go to it! If someone wants to take you on a walk through tulip fields in Amsterdam at 6 a.m., do it. Do it all.

Image Via: www.pixabay.com

To make the most out of your fall study abroad trip, do not resist difference. Do not reject something new to you just because it is new, and push yourself to embrace lifestyles far different from your usual one, and make friends with locals whenever you can.

Work hard to adopt new customs into your own, and enjoy the novelty of being in a totally different environment with wildly different people. Simple conversations with new folks will teach you more than one professor in a lecture hall could, and it’s healthy to get out and interact with the world especially when you are immersed in an unfamiliar location with vastly different people.

Enjoy yourself!

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