Year abroad prep – an unconventional guide

Before I went on my year abroad I spent hours studying articles and watching videos online for any information on how to prepare myself for life in a foreign country. Now after spending five months in Puerto Rico and five months in Spain, I feel I am uniquely qualified to provide a list of steps that are essential but that no one told me about.

1. Find out who else is going to your destination

A vital tip that will allow you to rely on your more organised course-mates for important information in the run up to your trip. Thankfully my department published a full list of exactly who was going where, but if your subject hasn’t done this email the staff at the international office who will most likely be happy to share who else is going. This will allow you to stalk them on Facebook and hopefully make a dedicated group chat. This may sound like great lengths to go but without my WhatsApp group chat I would have missed all the reminders regarding visa updates, module choices and accommodation payments. Which is why befriending your jet-setting peers is the most important yet overlooked step.

2. Know what the least amount of work you can do to pass is

During my time in Spain I discovered that some universities actually grade their students’ time abroad and that it contributes to their overall degree, which must severely cut into the partying and travelling they had imagined themselves doing. Thankfully this is not the most popular policy at Warwick which appears to be that you just have to pass, however, it is important that you email your tutors or check on the department webpage to find out exactly what you need to do. Some departments have zero restrictions and you can fail with ease, whereas others require you to continue to complete tasks on Moodle and state that less than 40% and you will not progress to fourth year. Unless you want your chance at graduation to be foiled by too much fun in the sun, triple check the academic requirements.

3. Pack lightly

If you’re anything like I was you want to be 100% prepared and are filling your suitcase with the ‘essentials’ to not be caught out. Unfortunately, most people go overboard and end up taking way more than they need. This means having to lug around multiple suitcases on trips to airports and accommodation and being forced to come up with storage solutions if you want to travel after your stay. If having a constant stream of new fashionable outfits is crucial for you to impress your new friends and Instagram followers, then ignore this tip. However, if your priority is travel only bring one checked bag. How? Toiletries, bed sheets and towels can all be bought at your destination. Limit expensive electronics and don’t pack more than 3 pairs of shoes.

4. Introspect

In the run up to your time away it can be easy to think only of the practical and material things you need to accomplish before leaving to go live in a foreign country. However, your year abroad has the potential to be the most freeing time of your life, in which you can start over without the expectations of family, friends and even your native society. What do you want to achieve from your travels? Maybe its learning a new language, starting a blog, or just exploring as much as possible. Note down mentally or even physically in a notebook, what you hope to get from your study abroad, so that once you’re caught up in your new life you can think back and see if you’re achieving what you set out to do.

Despite all of this advice, there will still be items you forget and mistakes you will make that will stick with you more than any article can, as you learn for yourself through your wild adventures and embark on the experience of a lifetime.