Having been through the process twice now, I know it will never be an easy matter to move to a foreign country and into a place of residence you have probably never seen before. There is so much you don’t know when you get on that aeroplane. But no matter what the ups and downs of your time studying abroad, when you look back on your first day, you will probably smile as you realize just how far you’ve come.
Now, settling in to study abroad takes time. Rome was not built in a day and your life abroad won’t be either. You may go several days without cutlery or a duvet for your bed. Fine! You may run around aimlessly trying to find the best mobile phone plan, and completing all the documents needed to open a foreign bank account. OK! Not only do these things take time, they also demand a lot of patience and energy. Trying to cram it all in at once will only drain and frustrate you. Here’s my advice on how to make the first days and weeks of studying abroad a little less stressful…
Plan your study abroad trip in advance
As for myself, I don’t really enjoy being overwhelmed and frazzled in situations such as these. Therefore, for each study abroad trip, I do a lot of research beforehand. Starting with the university, I make sure I read any publications they have sent me, from the important letters down to the brochures. I make note of things such as: What train do I need to take once I arrive at the airport? Will there be university meet-and-greet staff there? What do I need to do once I arrive at the university? Thinking ahead and making a rough plan will help immensely. Writing it down on paper helps you to remember it as well, especially in cases where your cell phone won’t work abroad.
Attend orientation week sessions
In addition to setting up your new room with all the essentials, you will also have to factor in time to attend mandatory university welcome sessions, often organized as part of an orientation week for international students. These are important, because after all you are there to study abroad. Often these sessions will help you choose classes or at least make you aware of the university resources available. They may also provide information to help you settle in more generally, including trips to local attractions and workshops on topics such as opening a local bank account. Even if they are optional, I suggest going to at least some of these orientation week sessions.
Start socializing!
Being social is a whole other aspect of settling in to study abroad. Take advantage of university events organized for new students (known as ‘freshers’ in the UK). If you’re just spending part of your degree abroad or are studying at postgraduate level, you may find that most freshers will be a couple of years younger than you, but they are still in the same boat of trying to get to know the place and make new friends. Of course, get to know the other international students as well, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to break out of this bubble at times, so do try and mix with domestic students too.
Don’t forget to sleep!
Do not ignore practical issues either. When you are jetlagged and dehydrated from many hours spent flying, your first night abroad is better spent sleeping than out at your new local bar. Getting a good night’s sleep will allow you to be fresh for the next day’s challenges. You will need to do so many things in the days to come. These include finding your way around town or campus, buying groceries, setting up a phone plan, completing university registration, setting up a bank account, registering with a doctor, meeting new people, registering for classes… the list goes on and on!
Going along with this, if you haven’t noticed, a lot of these activities involve spending money. My advice for international students coming to the UK is to bring roughly £200 in cash (about US$330) to start off with. Expect to spend a lot initially and once you are settled, you can spend a lot less.
Have realistic expectations about studying abroad
Finally, don’t get too carried away with your expectations of what studying abroad will be like. We are all sold some story before studying abroad about how ‘amazing’ it will be. Don’t get me wrong – there are aspects of studying abroad that will completely blow you away. But there are also a lot of boring, average days. Life is life wherever you are.
When in doubt, remember that this is your experience. It’s ok if you don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. Your time studying abroad is an experience to be cherished. Just allow yourself the necessary time to get adjusted, however long this may take. I’m sure you will make many memories in the process! As I said earlier, when you look back, you will smile at how far you’ve come.