Orientation was a blast. It was a lot different from Holy Cross’s orientation since we weren’t actually required to attend events, and most events served some sort of alcohol. The school actually organized pub crawls on multiple nights. There is definitely a benefit to having a drinking age of 18, and having everything within walking distance. For those studying abroad soon, be prepared, your liver will take a beating the first week. I tried haggis for the first time at “A Taste of Scotland”. If you ignore the fact that you’re eating sheep’s stomach, it’s actually really good. I signed up for a few sports, boxing and fly fishing, on Wednesday at the “Saints Sports Fair”. Since I haven’t done either before, I figure I can only get better. Not to mention I’ll probably meet a few people along the way. There were so many events over the course of the week that even if I had wanted to go to all of them, it wouldn’t have been physically possible.
Obviously, if you are going to be studying abroad for a semester or year, you will probably need a student visa. Unfortunately, they don’t exactly make it easy to get one of these treasured documents. I had to go through the UK border agency, so I’ll use them as an example. First things first, you’ll need a passport. Once you have a passport, you’ll head to the UK border agency website. They clearly define what forms you need to fill out, so don’t worry about that part. What they don’t really tell you is how to fill these bad boys out. Thats where youtube comes in. It can be a pain the ass, but its better to have everything set so your not calling your parents from the customs detention center at the airport. Good luck.
It took me almost two days to pack, mostly due to procrastination, but I think I did okay. You would be surprised how much you can fit into two large suitcases. I flew out of the Manchester at 4:30 and arrived in Newark about 45 minutes later. That flight was pretty easy. I sat by myself in my own row with plenty of leg room, so I can’t complain. I actually met a Scottish couple in the Newark airport. I figured I should probably chat it up with them seeing as I was going to be living in their country for the next year. They were very friendly. They told me plenty of stories and gave me a lot of advice. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will run in to them again in Scotland.
The flight from Newark to Edinburgh, Scotland was about 6 hours. I was pretty lucky on this flight as well. The person in the seat next to me never showed, so again, I had plenty of room to stretch out. Although the portions were small, the food was pretty good. To top it off, they had free TV and movies, so 6 hours flew by pretty fast.
1. Talk to your academic advisor to discuss both the courses you will be taking abroad, and those courses you will need to take when returning. Studying abroad will be a waste if the courses you take aren’t going to count for credit at your home college or university.
2. Look into calling card that will charge your overseas calls to your home number. Better yet, download Skype and get a web cam. Its probably the easiest and cheapest way to communicate with people from home, as well as people that you are abroad with.
I’ve spent most of the last 2 or 3 weeks saying a lot of goodbyes. I didn’t realize how many people that I would miss while I’m gone. Of course, I will miss my family most of all. They’ve done more to prepare me for this experience than anyone else. I spent a few weekends at Holy Cross trying to meet up with and say goodbye to as many people as I could. Saying goodbye to my best friends, the guys who I’ve lived with, eaten with, and hung out with for the last two years, was probably the hardest. Although I’ll miss all my friends a Holy Cross, I can’t imagine spending my junior year doing anything else but studying abroad.
Since the academic year at the University of St. Andrews doesn’t begin until the end of September, I’ve had an extended summer, lasting well over four months. (For all of those people studying abroad in the future, use those four months wisely. They go by quick.) It has given me a lot of time to think about what I want to do in Scotland, but while studying abroad has been in my mind all summer, it still hasn’t hit me that I’ll be in another country for an entire year. If it doesn’t hit me while I’m packing, I figure it will when I’m flying over the Atlantic. Read the rest of this entry
The Ultimate Study Abroad Guide
So What Is This About?
Most American kids will never get the chance to study abroad. Hell, most American kids will probably never travel abroad, never mind study. But for those fortunate enough to get the chance, studying abroad can be a kickass experience.
Travel, see new places, meet people from all over the world, experience new cultures, and yes, take some classes and learn stuff. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But, as I've learned, there's a lot involved in the decision making process, planning, preparation, and execution when you're thinking of flying off to school in another corner of the world for a year. So, while I'm spending a year in a rainy corner of Scotland, I figure I'll use this blog to tell you all that I know and discover through the process.
Who knows, for those of you thinking about doing this, I just might be able to help you out. I'll talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Choosing a location, going through the student visa process, making travel arrangements, what to bring, what to not bring, how to not come off as a stupid American, where to eat and drink cheaply, who knows what I'll talk about.
But if you want to study abroad, it will all eventually apply to you. You only get one chance to do this, let's make the most of it.
