this is a common question for many college students. my name is lizzie and my answer is heck yes--study abroad!
i went to europe for my first time after graduating high school with my family and best friend. and i was immediately bitten by the travel bug. i knew that i was going to study abroad before i knew what my major was going to be. of course there are always going to be bumps in the road and planning is a requirement if you want to study abroad. but as i have now been in galway, ireland for 2 weeks now, i can promise you that it is worth the work.
the first step in the process of studying abroad is to decide where in the world you want to go. my choice was easy. i have irish roots, i loved ireland the first time i visited, and i wanted to learn from their hospitable culture. an added bonus is that everyone speaks english and i don't need to worry about additional communication barriers. the second step is to figure out how you are going to study abroad. through an exchange program arranged by your home university? by directly enrolling? through an independent program? there are pros and cons to every option. i am studying abroad through an independent program called academic programs international. so far they have been absolutely amazing. we have two irish coordinators, finn and kevin. they are a cute, newly wed couple who are beyond amazing. finn calls
herself our "irish sister" and is very real with us about what to
expect during our travels. kevin is funny and has given us several impromptu tours of the area. they've taken great care of us from first picking us up from the airport, dropping us off at our apartments, and to eventually taking us on several trips throughout ireland.
my journey has barely begun and i'm extremely excited that you are going to get to follow me for the next several months. i promise to supply you with beautiful photos, summaries of my experiences, funny stories, and hopefully advice for your own travels.