Leaving to Scotland in a Few Hours!

My flight leaves in about 7 hours and I'm leaving to the airport in 2 and I am so nervous! This is my first time leaving the country and it all feels so surreal. I am really excited to be heading out and finally completing my final Humanities courses and what better way to finish them off than flying to Scotland!
If you're like me and it is your first time studying abroad, my advice to you is to keep at it. The entire process is long and grueling and at times you even forget what you are putting all the effort in for, but you can't let that hold you back. Some tips for the application and pre-travel processes are:

1. Start EARLY and complete all of the necessary tasks on time because they all have their own deadlines. I would keep a calendar or checklist with everything that you need to do and when you need to do them by.
2. Apply for scholarships and financial aid! I was lucky enough to qualify for 3 scholarships, which brought my expenses down by a LOT. It may not be easy, but applying to at least 10 different scholarships will help you in the long run.
• Side Tip: Write one generic essay that you are able to tweak here and there. Since most of the scholarship organizations ask you pretty much the same questions, this is a huge time saver.
3. Research the country that you are visiting and take the weather into account for packing. Scotland is said to have lots of wind and rain and sun so the best advice I can give you for this is to pack layers that you can take on and off as the weather changes throughout the day.
• Side Tip: It is easy to assume that a 60 degree day in another country will be the same as a 60 degree day in California, but they are COMPLETELY different. You need to take wind, rain, altitude and other considerations into account.
4. Make sure that you pack enough clothes. Many would think that packing light is the way to go especially if you don't want to check your bag, but I guarantee you that you would not want to spend money out there on clothes that you could have brought on your own, especially if you're planning to layer. I've packed a sufficient amount of clothes that can last me over two weeks so that I won't have to go out and buy anything unnecessary or overly expensive.

Okay well I think that's all that I have to say for now! I'll update you guys after I spend some time in Edinburgh and get to explore the castles. Until then!