What is the most important thing you learned abroad?
Caroline: Live by the motto: Make it happen. Traveling abroad literally opens up a world of opportunities and this is your chance to take advantage of that. Don’t wait around for your study abroad program to plan activities for you. They often have one or two trips planned, but don’t rely on these to get your exposure abroad. Get a group of friends together and make your own plans.
But, remember that if there’s something that you are interested in but the group doesn’t want to do it, don’t skip out on it just because you have to do it by yourself. You have a limited amount of time abroad and to make best use of it and really explore your host city and country, go ahead and do things on your own. You won’t regret seeing an extra museum or two.
What do you tell your friends who are thinking about going abroad?
Caroline: Know what you want to get out of your time abroad. If you’re there because you want to be fully immersed in your host country’s culture, do that. If you’re there because you are really interested in the courses you’re taking, focus on that. Knowing what you want to get out of your program and semester abroad will help when you’re prioritizing your time.
However, just because you might decide to really get a lot out of your classes doesn’t mean you should take out all opportunities for cultural immersion. Everyone has a different balance for their time abroad, so find what works best for you.
What was the hardest part about going abroad?
Caroline: I love traveling abroad and getting to really know the host country and culture. However since I was in London, things really didn’t feel that different from my home university. Since IES Abroad allows for such independence, they don’t offer specific events for meeting locals.
We also live in dorm style apartments with other American students studying with IES in a building mainly for international students, so that didn’t help meet real Londoners, either. I did have a volunteer placement and once a week I got to hang out with some really great individuals from all over England, but I would have liked for more opportunities to interact on a more significant level with locals.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Caroline: Pick the program that fits you best. IES Abroad London’s Health Practice and Policy Program was great for me because I am a public health major and I am interested in global health policy. If you’re unsure of what you want to study, this might not be the best program for you.
This program has lots of opportunities for independent learning and further research in specific areas of study, but if you don’t know what you want to study and focus on, you might feel lost and as if you’re simply taking classes with no real goal. I’d definitely recommend this program for students that are interested in global health policy as I really learned a lot about the field.
London is also a fantastic location for health policy as I got to attend a lecture about global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for free. Because I was able to pinpoint my goals and take advantage of the amazing resources in London, I had an absolutely wonderful semester with IES Abroad!