Although I've always liked travelling from a young age, I never thought I ever want to experience living in a different country. I mean, I love going on holiday but it's always nice knowing that you've got a ticket back home. However, one of my most inspiring and forever memorable travel adventures was having the opportunity to live and study in Miami, Florida.
While I was at studying at the University of East Anglia, spending a year abroad was not only a compulsory part of my American Studies degree; it was one of the highlights of my university experience as a whole.
While I was at studying at the University of East Anglia, spending a year abroad was not only a compulsory part of my American Studies degree; it was one of the highlights of my university experience as a whole.
In 2012, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend a year abroad studying at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. I have to honestly say it was by far one of the best years of my life and was definitely an experience that I could never ever forget. Not only did I learn a lot of about American college culture, I developed as a person by enhancing my cultural awareness and independence by successfully adapting to a completely new environment. I grew to know and love Miami, from the infamous south beach to the lively downtown district and not forgetting the beautiful Hispanic culture embedded in the city, it will always have a special place in my heart. To this day I still bore my family and friends about my year abroad, blabbering on about how much I love Miami and all the amazing things I experienced there. I saw Obama, I joined a sorority, I went to watch the Miami Heat play, I met Flo Rida and I even went to the Bahamas and Cancun, just to list a few of my personal experiences. Everyone has a different year abroad experience no matter where you are. However, you cannot just rely on the place alone; it is what you truly make of it. What you put in is what you’ll get out of it. Be open-minded, be safe and most importantly…have fun!
Although studying abroad is about having fun in a new environment, you must remember the main reason why you’re there. You need to study. As boring as it may sound, remember why you’re at university in the first place. Make the most out of studying in a new country. I took advantage of the unique courses offered at the University of Miami including Comics in the USA, Gay and Lesbian USA and the Italian Mafia and Drugs. Through hard work and my previous experience from UEA, I was able to quickly adapt to the US education system quickly and effectively, proven by the fact I successfully passed the year with a 3.84 GPA (equivalent to about a high 2.1/ First).
One of the most important ways to make sure you get the most out of your year abroad is to get involved in as much as you can. Go out and meet people, explore your new home and embrace the new culture. I ensured that I became fully involved in the American College culture. I went through the recruitment process of becoming a part of the Greek system and successfully became a member of one of America’s largest and ever-growing sorority’s, Kappa Kappa Gamma. By joining a sorority, I gained a large network of friends within a sisterhood; I took part in community service and supported our national philanthropy. My sisters encouraged me to strive for academic excellence, achievement and leadership, which I continue to do so to this very day. I also had the opportunity to witness the vigorous political fight for the 2012 election by having the chance to see and listen to Barack Obama and Mitt Romney speak at the university on separate occasions. As the US political system was deeply embedded in my degree, this was highly beneficial to me and I’ve always been a big fan of Obama and it was an honour and privilege to be in his presence. It was definitely a dream that came true.
By getting the most out of your year abroad you learn to become more independent and adaptable. I definitely grew up a lot and felt like I blossomed into a better person as corny as that sounds. It was a little scary at first, but once I was settled there was no stopping me. It was such a unique educational experience which I could never forget even if I wanted to. I lived a new life and had a new home and met so many different people from all over America and the world. I genuinely made friends for life and it's so nice to share memories of our year abroad to one another.
Because of the independence and new found cultural awareness that you gain from a year abroad, it definitely stands out on your CV/ resume. Employers are very much drawn to those who study abroad because, from experience, it shows that you’re adaptable, daring and willing to challenge yourself which can easily be applied to the workplace. From my own personal experience, in many interviews people have been drawn to the fact I studied abroad and ask why I chose to do it, what I got out it and how my experiences living in a completely new culture can be applied to the world of work.
I think the only downfall of studying abroad is the financial side of it. The University of Miami was one of the more expensive options for our study abroad program seeing as it is a private university where American students on average pay about $60,000 a year. And we British students have the cheek to complain about the £9,000 a year tuition fees! Luckily for my year abroad, I only paid half a year tuition fees to my home university, UEA, and then paid for the Miami student accommodation, the meal plan, excess fees (athletic centre, gym membership, International student fee etc), my visa and my flights. My student loan didn’t cover this but luckily my daddy was very helpful and contributed to most of it. However, if it wasn’t for my daddy I wouldn’t have been able to afford to study abroad so you definitely need to take the financial costs into consideration. There were a lot of cheaper American universities to attend and most people were able to afford the year abroad with ease. I had my heart set on Miami before I even went to UEA and my daddy knew how much I really wanted to go so was determined to fulfill my dream which he did.
The overall hardest part about studying abroad for me was saying goodbye. It wasn’t just farewell to Miami, it was saying goodbye to the amazing people I met, the friends I made, my sorority sisters, my roommate and just to the experience as a whole. I found it hard to adjust back to ‘normal’ life and I felt like I was boring people to death blabbering on about my time away. Finishing my fourth year at university was really hard, especially as Norwich is so different to Miami. Being away from England for a whole year was surreal so stepping foot on home territory was hard to adapt to. However, thanks to family and friends (and my dissertation) I was able to adjust back to regular life and still reflected on the amazing memories I had from my year abroad. Writing articles for my student newspaper enabled me to reflect on my year abroad and advise my fellow students about Miami as a city as well as encourage them to study abroad if the opportunity arises.
Saying goodbye to my Australian roommate Jessie was so hard :(
So for all you students out there or those planning on going to university, I definitely think you should consider studying abroad or finding a degree where a year abroad is part of the course. It is by far one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It changed my life and I’m sure it’ll change yours.
