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Before I made a decision about going abroad there were a lot of things that crossed my mind. Did I pick the right country? Did I pick the right school? Am I going to meet new friends? Will I get along with my roommate? As all these questions cross your mind, I want you to breathe. No matter what, you’ll have an amazing experience that you will remember forever. The good will almost always outweigh the bad. So go in with an open mind in order to find the perfect study abroad university.
Finding the perfect university to study abroad at is a lot of pressure. It’s like committing to a six month relationship before you even know the guy. In this post, I am going to talk about some of the things you should ask yourself in order to find the perfect study abroad university.
I studied at an American university in Rome, Italy for 5 months where I had some of the best memories of my life. Here’s a list of some of the things I considered / should have considered before deciding where I wanted to go and why.
Really think about it before making the big decision. Grab a piece of paper and write down a list of goals you want to accomplish. Do you want to meet new people from all different cultures? Are you willing to go outside of your comfort zone? Do you want to learn a new language? These are all valid questions that you should think about.
Write out a list of things you want accomplish during your study abroad experience and revisit that list at the end of this post.
Going abroad is a big step to fully being independent. It can also be daunting and can cause a lot of anxiety. There’s a lot of things you should consider with the way you may possibly feel before going abroad.
If no then you might want to consider going to a country that speaks your native language. Or you might want to consider going to an American university. Doing this will give you a sense of comfort even when going somewhere new and you’ll have a smaller case of culture shock.
If you want to learn a completely new language then I’d highly recommend going to a local university. For example, going to an Italian university in Italy or a French university in France. This is the absolute best way to immerse yourself in a new language and culture. You will be able to make friends with locals and will experience life as a local instead of a tourist.
Every abroad university has different living scenarios and there’s pros and cons for all of them. Do you want to live in dorms or do you want to share an apartment or do you want to do a home-stay? It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it can totally change your abroad experience.
Some universities offer housing for you or help you find housing others don’t. The university I studied at had in-house dorms that were in a gated community, which made me feel super safe. The downside was that we couldn’t have any guests, so if I made local friends I wouldn’t be able to hang out in my room unless they were also from my university. A few of my other friends that went abroad, had to find apartments to live in on their own, but had more independence when it came to living. I know a couple people who did home-stays and really enjoyed their host family and others not so much.
Your living scenario abroad is a big deal to your study abroad experience so thing long and hard about what you want out of your living situation.
Is your university in the middle of the city or in the outskirts of the city? Does the university have easily accessible public transportation? These questions are so important because location is HUGE and can make such a difference to your abroad experience. For example, in Italy a university can be a 20 minute car ride, or a 40 minute walk or a 60 minute bus ride depending on the day / time. Having a university that’s easily accessible will make exploring the city so much easier.
You should also think about the location of your housing accommodations. Are you going to need to commute to and from class everyday? If so, how long will it take. If you plan to go out on some weekends, how far is it to be traveling late at night? These are all things you should consider.
This is something not many people think about before studying abroad. But, studying abroad also means traveling a ton! Picking a city to study abroad is a lot of pressure, but one thing to think about is the airport in your city. Bigger cities, although more touristy, usually have bigger airports and have more flights at cheaper prices. Smaller cities, which might be more immersive, usually require layovers when traveling or have higher prices. Depending on what you want out of your study abroad experience, you might want to consider the city’s airport as well!!
Now I want you to revisit that list you made at the beginning. Did these questions expand that list or help clarify ways you can meet some goals? If no, then keep on researching and writing more goals you want to accomplish. At the end of the day, your study abroad experience will be absolutely amazing and I am so so excited for you. I hope this helped you find the perfect study abroad university and I’ll see you in the next post..
Xoxo, Angelique Vestil – Ang Around The Globe
Check out some of my favorite tools and companies I actually use when I travel.
Need a Bank Account for Life Abroad? Wise is the best option for travelers, study abroad students and expats. I use it as my everyday checking account since it lets me hold and spend in multiple currencies without getting hit with a bad exchange rate every time I cross a border.
Want to Travel for Free & Skip the Foreign Transaction Fees? I put my spending on my Chase Sapphire Preferred card and let the points cover flights and hotels I'd otherwise be paying for out of pocket. I've been able to use the points I earn on this card to pay for flights, hotels and meals all around the world!
Please Don't Forget Travel Insurance! Travel insurance protects you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never go on a trip without it. My two favorites are:
Need a Flight? I personally love using Google Flights to track prices and compare dates before I commit, the flexible date view alone has saved me a lot of money. Skyscanner is another great search engine to find cheap flights because it searches sites and airlines around the globe, so you know no cheap deal is being left on the table.
Getting Around Southeast Asia? Book your buses, trains, and ferries with 12Go Asia. One search shows you every route and price, so you're not digging through ten different local booking sites.
Need a Place to Stay? Book your hotel with Expedia, where I start looking, especially when I want to bundle flights and stays together. Hotels.com is my backup when I want to compare prices or I'm chasing their rewards program for a free night.
On a Tighter Budget? Hostelworld is where I go for hostels. It has the largest inventory out there, and you can search for dorm beds or private rooms depending on what you're after!
Want a Free Way to Travel? Try TrustedHousesitters! You look after someone's home and pets while they're away, and in exchange you get free accommodation (minus the subscription fee). It's a great option if you're traveling long term and want to cut costs. I personally use this as a host and a sitter, and it's truly great!
Need Inspiration or Just Want to See What's Out There? Go Guides is a solid resource for destination guides, must-see landmarks, local markets, best beaches, and things to do, browsable by place or by theme. It's a good stop whether you already know where you're headed or you're still looking for your next destination.
Check out my full packing gear guide for everything I bring on international trips, or browse my favorite travel finds on Amazon for quick links to it all.
Check out my full resource page for every company I use when I travel. I list them all in one place so you can go from planning to booked without digging through old blog posts!
Hey there, I'm Angelique!
I'm a Filipina-American, Chicago native living abroad and running my online design agency from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Over a decade of traveling in, and yes, I still pinch myself. With family split between the US, UK, and SE Asia, travel has always been part of my story. This blog is where I share the honest side of living and traveling abroad, the places I explore, my best study abroad tips from personal experience, and the little hacks that make this life actually work. Glad you're here, friend!
Studying abroad soon?
everything to sort before you go, in one printable page.
Grab the printable study abroad checklist covering the paperwork, money, and packing stuff that's easy to forget until you're already there wishing you'd sorted it!