Over the summer I decided it was time to challenge myself. Early September I got an email about planning to study abroad. It's like they knew, it was perfect. A few weeks later I would go to the session, hear amazing stories of everyone's experiences, all excited to experience my own. I went to a councilor at the end of the session to exclaim how excited I was to go to Spain. "Awesome! Are you going next year?" "No, next semester". Little did I know that the first deadlines were creeping up soon on October 1st. It was September 21st.
Nine days. Nine days was all I had to figure out next semester. I had barely even told my parents about my plans. I started to tell friends I was considering a semester abroad, you know, to ease them into the idea of it-- but actually, I hadn't even met with IPO yet. I had flashbacks to apply to college: all the research I would do to find the perfect school. Again, there was so much information online, too many options almost. It was tough running against the clock. But overall, this is My Practical and Personal Guide for Studying in Madrid. Which means, yes I did it! I am proud and excited to state that I will be studying computer science and sociology classes at Universidad Carlos iii de Madrid next semester. I look forward to updating you on my adventures throughout the journey.
As for now, here are a few tips:
1) There is never the "right time to study abroad". I thought about it long and hard. I wanted to find the perfect semester. The one where I will miss out on the least. The one with the least classes for my major. The one with the least big events. But unfortunately there is never a perfect semester. We love college too much to leave it. So naturally I kept making excuses for myself, I felt bad for leaving. But as I said, there is never "the right time", because it is always "the right time". College is our time to adventure, explore, and try new things, so I urge you to challenge yourself and take the opportunity if given. It is not something you want to regret.
2) Try to start early, I wish I did. Like I said earlier, I decided I wanted to study abroad over the summer. I heard stories of my fellow interns and I told myself, "Next year, I'm gonna be the one sharing these stories with everyone else". I thought starting a semester earlier was early enough, but it was not-- deadlines are very soon. Starting early gives you more time to research the school, get classes approved, and get signatures on your documents. And it also allows for a more flexible timeline.
3) If you want it to work it, try your best and it will. This was something I had to keep telling myself. As a computer science major, not a lot of my classmates were studying abroad. It was a process finding the right advisers and making sure I made deadlines. And honestly, I did miss some deadlines since communicating takes a long time. But if you stay determined and make as many phone calls as you can, it is possible. In general, everyone is supportive of the idea of studying abroad, and they will do whatever they can to make sure it happens.
So overall, even with only nine days, I finalized my plans to study abroad. I'm so so excited to see everything I will encounter in Madrid. And hope to keep you updated along the way :).
