Retrospect: the Traveller, the Student,and the Professional

For the Traveller:

Studying abroad was an amazing opportunity for me to explore the city of Paris! I personally chose
my program for the course content. I had recently become interested in ASL and picked up the minor,
and I thought that the perfect next step would be to take the courses offered in Paris on French Sign
Language (LSF). I never dreamed of a romantic night by the Seine with my partner and wine. Nor
have I ever desired to learn French specifically. However, going to Paris with absolutely no
expectations I was blown away. The public transportation was life changing. The streets were
completely different and architecture abundant with limestone and a specific aesthetic that screamed
Paris. While doing my research I became more and more excited for the opportunity to tour the
fabulous art museums and patronize corner cafes. I was even more excited that Pride would be held
just the weekend before my arrival (while I may miss it, the town would still be abuzz with gay
splendor).

For you, the traveller, studying abroad is a wonderful opportunity to visit another country. It doesn’t
have to be your dream destination, but do some homework and soon enough you’ll find more than
enough reason to apply. It’s worthwhile because you get to apply for scholarships which will greatly
help you afford this trip. And the structure of classes while there helps center you and gives you a
sense of purpose without ruining the fun, as courses are always relevant to the destination and
incorporate what the country has to offer with your learning. If you are a lone traveler, do not fret!
I had all the freedom on off days to go as far as my budget would allow me. You are not obligated
to spend time with anyone you meet, but you have the support of Study Abroad’s partner agencies
in the country in case of emergencies. For group travelers, make new friends and get lost together!
I have forged new friendships and I have so many group pictures that will forever capture our
camaraderie. I always felt safe and cared for, but not in an overbearing way. For those who crave to
immerse themselves in a new way of life, Global Seminars may be shorter than you care for, but it
was affordable for me and I still lived out of an apartment. A month was good enough for me to get a
taste of Parisian city life through rose colored lenses, before the reality could catch up to me. Nothing
against Paris, but I believe that once you truly settle anywhere you are prone to feel stuck or start to
run out of the initial excitement and become sensitised to the cons of living there. Global Seminars
was just right for me, and hopefully it can be for you too!

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To the Student:

The idea of doing 8 units over five weeks can be a daunting task for normal Summer Session at
UCSD, depending on the course of course. But throw in the fact that you are abroad and it is normal
to wonder how you’ll fare. I am here to assure you that it was very manageable, though full disclosure,
they were my minor courses and I was very interested in the topic already. I recommend researching
the professor leading the course and ask around for their general course load, test styles, and student
expectations. My professor was known to give tests based on memory and I’m not too bothered by
those kind of tests. I also went to the info sessions and learned that we would just have weekly
readings consisting of one novel for one class and some online stuff for the other. That’s super
manageable. Aside from that, just some weekly essays on what we’ve learned from our expeditions.
If the professor is known for heavy workloads and high student expectations I would recommend
visiting office hours just once to get a feel for how they are and have a chat, assuming you’ve already
gone to the info session. Research for your courses like you would for your normal classes and you
should be a-okay. In the case that there is no available information on the professor/instructor as I
would assume to be the case for some GE classes, ask around for past experiences with that course.
Honestly, you can even shameless facebook stalk past *PUBLIC* posts for student comments and
send them questions. It never hurts to ensure that you won’t be failing your studies while abroad!
That’s one class you might not be able to retake. Set yourself up for success!

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For the Professional:

I found that my experience abroad working closely with a group of new strangers helped me improve
on how I communicate with people I don’t know for a committed time period. You don’t always have to
make friends, but it’s always good to practice social skills in regards to meeting a new room full of
people you don’t know. It’s good practice for work and life in general. I also found that studying abroad
helped me strengthen my problem solving skills as I had to figure out transportation, language barriers,
budgeting and more in a foreign setting. Meeting locals, even in brief chats at the cashier or short
conversations with museum attendants has taught me how to network across cultures as the foreigner.
I also found that it was an excellent opportunity to really get to know a professor and it has helped me
get over anxiety over office hour visits and to not be timid in a small class setting. It looks good to be an
international citizen, and this is your opportunity to go international! Challenge yourself to grow as a
professional and impress your boss with your knowledge. Just be careful not to be too show-off-y!