Taking Trips Without Falling Behind on Work

Experiencing new and different cultures while studying abroad is a big part of the experience. But it is important to remember that this experience is called study abroad and not just abroad because you will have work that you need to complete. 

Whenever you hear someone talk about study abroad, the study part never comes up. Abroad is what people want to hear. You hear how many amazing places he or she travelled, all the fascinating details about the city or country that person was immersed in for the last few months. And yes, a huge part of studying abroad is having those unforgettable travel and cultural experiences. But that is why I am here to talk about balancing this travel with yes, work. Here are some ways to have these incredible experiences without falling behind on the work that, I promise, you will have. 

Plan Ahead

Besides one or two spontaneous bus trips that you will probably have during your time abroad, you know of your trips well in advance. If you know you have a project or an exam coming up soon after your trip, don’t panic. Just plan to crank out your studying or get ahead of your project before the trip. Or do some work on the plane. What else is there to do at 20,000 feet in the air anyway? I went on a trip to Madrid the weekend before a group project was due. However, I knew I was going to be on an 8 hour bus ride on a Sunday afternoon from Madrid back to Barcelona. That was the perfect time to get work done, and it allowed me to thoroughly enjoy my trip to Madrid while still finishing my part of the project on time. 

Don’t Forget to Communicate

This leans more heavily toward group projects, but I believe everyone in my program had at least one group project, so chances are you will too. If you are going on a trip, make sure to let your group members know. This way, you can plan to meet before you leave, or you can at least assign work to each member. All of my group members knew I wouldn’t be able to complete the project until Sunday afternoon. This helped to avoid any confusion, and enabled us to then decide to meet up before class in order to practice our presentation. And we did very well. 

Take Advantage of International Classes

While you may have come into your program without even thinking about class during your three months across the Atlantic, just know that there are advantages of these classes that are hard to get back in the states. You are learning in a different country, so examples and relevant context will be different than in the United States. For example, in my management class, our case studies were about European companies, some of which I hadn’t even heard of. This enabled me to not only learn about new companies, but it also allowed me to contrast how companies operate in Europe versus in the United States. 

Also, you will most likely take classes with students from all over the world. In this same class, there were students from the United States, but also from Germany, Switzerland, and Egypt. It is fascinating to hear about the differences between countries, and I also had the opportunity to complete the group project that I mentioned earlier with three guys from Germany. While no, I still cannot speak German, working on an international team was a unique opportunity that is often more difficult to find at American universities.

Definitely take advantage of this unique opportunity to be able to explore new and different cultures. Immerse yourself in your new city and country. Travel to amazing places. But also don’t lose sight of the fact that studying is also part of the experience. And also make sure not to underestimate the value that you can gain from these international classes.