I Studied Abroad In College—Everything You Need To Know If You're On The Fence

Studying abroad was one of the highlights of my college experience. I spent the spring semester of my junior year studying Irish Literature at the National University of Ireland in Galway. During that time, I traveled to incredible places throughout Ireland and greater Europe, made amazing memories, and met incredible friends who I still keep in touch with to this day. Even now, years later, Galway still holds a special place in my heart.

Living in a foreign country teaches you a lot – not just about your new home away from home but also about yourself. It forces you to become more independent and challenges you to adapt to a new culture. If you study in a country where the citizens speak a different language, that challenge is even further amplified. There’s no better way to fast-track your language learning than by conversing with native speakers every day.

While studying abroad is a unique opportunity to completely immerse yourself in a new culture and travel to some amazing places, it can also be a very stressful experience that might not be for everyone. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits and drawbacks so you can make a more informed decision about whether living and learning in a foreign country is the right choice for you.

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

You Become More Independent

Studying abroad quickly forces you to become more independent and to grow in ways you never expected. Flight cancelled on a weekend trip to France? You have to figure it out. Lose your passport? You have to figure it out.

Of course, you’re not completely alone. You’ll make friends, and every study abroad program typically has adult oversight of some sort, but you are on your own a lot (especially if you travel outside your host country). You’ll also be challenged to make new friends and adapt to a new learning environment, which, while stressful, will shape you into a more well-rounded and flexible person.

You Expand Your Horizons

One of the obvious benefits of studying abroad is the access it gives you to travel. If you study in Europe, for example, there are so many other countries that are only a quick (and relatively cheap!) train or plane ride away. You can spend a weekend in England or Spain or even Greece!

You’ll get to see historic sites, learn about new cultures, try amazing foods, and see parts of the world that you might not have even heard of before. If you love to travel, studying abroad is a great way to fit a lot of it into a short amount of time. In a single semester, you could potentially visit 5-10 different countries (or more, if you’re really ambitious!). It’s rare to find another time in your life when something like that might be possible.

You Meet Amazing People

When you study abroad, you’ll be exposed to people you never would have met otherwise. Fellow Americans in your program, but also locals in whatever country you’re staying in – and locals of the countries you travel to outside it. 

Depending on how your program operates, you might live with or among local students of the university you’re attending. When I lived in Ireland and attended the National University of Galway, I lived in a house with one American girl from my program and three native Irish students. We learned a lot about Irish culture very quickly.

Living together on a foreign continent, traveling together, and learning together will undoubtedly bond you with your fellow students. Time passes differently when you study abroad. It’s only a few months, but you pack so much into it that when you look back on the experience, it feels so much longer due to the impact it has on you. The friendships you make during that time will stick with you forever. 

The Drawbacks of Studying Abroad

I’m going to be honest, it was hard for me to come up with many downsides to studying abroad, aside from the most obvious one (cost) and safety (depending on where you'll be located). I’m biased, of course, seeing as I studied abroad myself. Still, viewing this as objectively as possible, I’ll say that there are three negatives you should consider before deciding to spend a semester in a foreign country. 

Program Costs

Unfortunately, studying abroad is not cheap. Program costs vary widely based on where you want to go and for how long. If you opt to use a third-party study abroad program, it’s going to be even more expensive – typically running anywhere from $15,000 to $22,000. 

The benefit of using a third-party program is that they do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to logistics. They prepare you for your semester, help with enrollment in the foreign university you’re attending, walk you through the visa process (if there is one for your host country), set you up with housing, and answer any questions you might have throughout your semester. I used a third-party program when I studied abroad and really enjoyed the experience. 

Your other option is enrolling directly into a foreign university, which also varies widely in cost depending on where you’re going. If you’re studying at a school in a place like Germany or Sweden, tuition might only be a few hundred dollars. Somewhere like Australia, however, will run you closer to $10,000. If all of this sounds out of your price range, fear not! There are tons of study abroad scholarships you can apply for. 

Traveling Is Expensive!

Traveling is another cost to factor in if you plan to travel abroad. If you’re in Europe, for example, it’s relatively easy to take the train or a quick flight to another country for the weekend. Yes, you can fly cheap airlines like Ryanair (as long as you don’t want to bring much luggage), but you’re still paying for hotel rooms, train tickets, meals out, excursions, etc.

All of that adds up very fast. Even if you don’t travel much outside your host country, there will still inevitably be meals and nights out, grocery costs, and costs for various excursions, tours, and activities. This doesn’t mean studying abroad isn’t doable on a budget, but it’s another thing to factor into your overall study abroad pro/con list. 

Missing Out on Some Traditional College Experiences

Your time in college is short – those four years pass by in a blink! While studying abroad is an incredible experience, you will likely miss out on some traditional college experiences and have a bit of FOMO when you hear what your friends are up to back home. I remember coming back from studying abroad, catching up with my friends, and feeling like I’d missed out on so much while I was away. 

Not every day is going to be a fairytale while you’re abroad, and there will be times when you get incredibly homesick. I don’t regret studying abroad at all. Dealing with some homesickness and missing out on a few “traditional” college experiences was worth it to me. But if there are some college football games, Greek life events, extracurriculars, and classes you can't imagine missing out on, consider that when you’re weighing whether you really want to study abroad. 

Closing Thoughts

Social media often makes the study abroad experience look like something out of a movie, and while that’s not totally inaccurate, just know that, like with all things in life, there will be ups and downs to your study abroad experience. There will be days when you get homesick, or bored, or feel overwhelmed with stress. In my opinion, however, the pros far outweigh the cons. So if you’re up for a bit of adventure and don’t shy away from a challenge, studying abroad is likely the right choice for you.