From Warwick: What can a year abroad offer you?

A year abroad is billed, often vaguely, as a great opportunity for professional and personal development. But what can it actually offer? For second-years currently deciding, we asked four returning students from The Boar‘s editorial team for their top takeaways from the year. 

I went from speaking Spanish in seminar rooms to using my second language to ask officials for rights of reply and interview locals about problems they were facing

Rachel, Co-Editor-in-Chief: Costa del Sol, Spain – Gaining work experience  

As a languages student, I had the option of working during my year abroad instead of studying, and after two years of lectures and deadlines, I was excited by the opportunity to try something different. 

I ended up at a newspaper in southern Spain, writing articles, conducting interviews, and working in a newsroom. I went from speaking Spanish in seminar rooms to using my second language to ask officials for a right of reply and interview locals about the problems they faced.  

From travelling around the region to cover protests and festivals to speaking with researchers at Málaga’s Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture about their latest work, the job took me to places that I wouldn’t have been able to go to as a student or tourist. 

I left the placement with a clearer idea of how a newsroom works, and a far better understanding of the issues shaping everyday life in Spain. 

Tilly, Sub-Editor-in-Chief: Lyon, France – Practicing another language 

Since French isn’t part of my degree, a year abroad was the best opportunity for me to practise my language skills. Studying French at school and taking a Language Centre module at the University of Warwick gave me a great foundation, but nothing beats being able (and forced) to practice daily. 

Studying at a French university allowed me to take language classes alongside regular, French-taught classes. The language classes helped me with grammar, and my first 3,000-word French history essay pushed me to learn quickly! 

I came back more confident and – with my C1 language diploma – more qualified than when I left

But my best practice came from day-to-day situations: chatting with French-speaking friends, deciphering the cafeteria menu, and reading posters in the metro and signs in the supermarket.  

A language filling the cracks in your day is something you can only get by living there. I came back more confident and – with my C1 language diploma – more qualified than when I left. 

Lucy, Co-Editor-in-Chief: Málaga, Spain – Increased cultural awareness 

While working on a group project for one of my modules with two native Spanish students, I was met with confused looks when I told them I’m from Liverpool but attend the University of Warwick. Not only because they had no idea where Warwick was, but they also couldn’t understand why I hadn’t simply attended university in Liverpool. 

Attending a university in Spain gave me the opportunity to see how the education system differs from the UK, while also experiencing Spanish holidays and traditions firsthand

Spanish university culture is noticeably different from British university culture, and not just because they serve alcohol in the cafeteria.  

Attending a university in Spain gave me the opportunity to see how the education system differs from the UK, while also experiencing Spanish holidays and traditions firsthand.  

Although I have been learning about Spanish culture since I picked up the language 10 years ago, there’s nothing quite like living in the country. My year abroad let me immerse myself in Spain’s language, customs, and traditions, and, most importantly, live like a local. 

Erin, Travel Editor: Montréal, Canada – Personal growth 

Anybody who’s ever embarked on a year abroad has probably raved to you about the ‘year abroad glow-up,’ and they’re not wrong. Not only does moving to a different country instil plenty of confidence in you – since the anxiety-inducing aspects of finding a place to live, speaking a different language, and navigating a completely new city are usually unavoidable – it also gives you time to break free from the campus bubble and uncover new sides to yourself that you wouldn’t have otherwise encountered. 

I personally really enjoyed being pushed outside of my comfort zone and having to adjust to a new way of doing things 

Starting afresh at a new university is extremely humbling at first, and I definitely had flashbacks to being a fresh-faced first-year, but I found it is also a great opportunity to make new connections. I personally really enjoyed being pushed outside of my comfort zone and having to adjust to a new way of doing things. 

While a year abroad brings very unique and subjective experiences, mine certainly matured me into what my family likes to describe as “a worldly young woman.” 

With a new environment, a whole year, and (for most students) only a pass/fail expectation, a year abroad can be whatever you want – and make it to be, whether that’s for your CV, for yourself, or both.  

What could your year abroad offer?