The most important thing I have learned about myself on this study abroad is that I am much more capable of achieving anything I put my mind to than I would have ever thought. Although this study abroad program has been one of the greatest chapters of my life, it has also been one of the most difficult. Having class almost everyday from 9a.m. to 3p.m. with a 40-minute metro commute to and from class was extremely exhausting, especially on days that included guest speakers and field trips that were planned ahead of time. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep was not the easiest task to accomplish, especially when fellow students would plan little trips and outgoings together that would begin much later in the night. Studying for the two classes I was taking felt almost impossible but considering how much my grade depended on the two tests I had for each course, I knew I would have to make time to study. Because the IBUS test was on Tuesday and the MGMT test was on Wednesday, I had to gauge a balance of when to study for what course. The weekend before the first round of tests was when I had taken a trip to Blanes, and because I had taken this trip, it had made me quite exhausted after getting back to Barcelona after all the traveling. With this being said and knowing I hadn’t had ample time to study nor sleep, there was only one solution to this problem of mine: caffeine. Caffeine by far was the one thing that helped me push through the first rough couple of days of studying. Before this program, I had never been much of a person who is reliant on caffeine, but because of the circumstances I was placed in, I had to somehow make lemonade out of the lemons I was handed.
Because I am used to giving myself at least a week ahead of time to study before a test, I was not prepared for how my body would react to the lack of sleep and surplus of caffeine it was dealing with over these couple of days. I definitely did not feel too good going into the first two tests, and my grade reflected the confidence I had. Because of this, I was quite unmotivated and depressed about how I had done after feeling like I had tried so hard. I contacted one of my professors about my concerns about my grade and he gladly took some time out of his schedule to meet with me to discuss possible solutions. The discussion we had was very helpful, and relieved a great weight from my shoulders by telling me how everything will be fine and that a grade on a test will not determine a life-or-death scenario for me. The advice and insights he gave me were definitely the main factor of motivation I had to do better on the next rounds of exams. Although he let me know I would probably have to work a little harder to catch up and obtain the grade I had wanted, I knew I could not just sit back and do nothing about getting a good grade. I had to re-evaluate how I should study and prepare for the next round of exams.
The first thing I knew I had to do was take more advantage of the time I was given in class. I would hand-write all notes regarding vocabulary along with important information and ask questions about anything I was stuck or confused on. On most days during my lunch breaks, I would read a little bit of the textbook or slides provided while I ate to get ahead of the game on the content we had to learn. When the class would have nothing planned after lecture, I made sure to take naps when I immediately got to my apartment to make sure I had enough sleep to function properly. On some days of the week if I felt like I had time, I would quickly go over the notes I had taken for the day and review them in order to make sure they stuck with me so I would not forget them. By the time it was the weekend before the second round of exams, I had made sure to keep my schedule open to where I would get at least 6-7 hours of sleep per night in order to feel well going into the exams. I studied the hardest over the couple of days before the exams and had only consumed a moderate amount of caffeine to help me focus. When the time had come for me to take the tests, I had gone into them with twice the confidence as the last time. Luckily, the grades I had received reflected the confidence I had. Although I had confidence going into the second round of exams, I had not thought that I would have done as well as I did compared to my first set of grades I had received. I truly did push my limits and learn that although I started off poorly with my study habits, grades, and caffeine consumption, I could still catch up and flip the whole situation around. Here you can find some photos I took that include the people I traveled and studied with including our amazing professors, the room I spent what felt like years studying in for exams, and our amazing guide and I, Manuel!
I would like to tell an Aggie who is considering studying abroad in Italy to prioritize their health first. There can be a lot of pressure to do as much as possible while in Europe to make the “most” of the trip, but if you aren’t prioritizing your sleep, diet, physical, and mental health, then things will just feel miserable all the time. When you prioritize your health, you’ll be able to feel your best self and make the most out of the things you do, even if it may not be as much as if you were disregarding some of these factors. I would also like to tell them to take some mental photographs while they can. There are so many great sights and beautiful scenes in Europe, and a camera can only capture so much of the beauty. Being able to live in the moment and take it in to remember is something I wish I did more while on my study abroad. The places you see and people you meet will compare to no other, and a piece of advice I wish I was told was to focus on the memories you are currently making and less on the smaller day-to-day issues or stressors you may be facing. Some things this Aggie may hear would be questions about where they are from, how they are liking Europe, if they need help with any translations, and what is the biggest cultural shock they’ve experienced. Some things they would see would be historic landmarks, museums and art galleries, landscapes along with natural wonders, famous cathedrals and churches, markets and festivals, and most importantly, beautiful sights that compare to no other. Overall, and Aggie that decides to study abroad would experience a chapter in their life that would compare to no other. There will be opportunities in the future where you can travel Europe and do all the great things there are to experience there, but you will not be able to go back in time to meet and make life-long friends with the other students you are surrounded by while experiencing a program through such a great college as Texas A&M is. Studying abroad has been one of the best decisions I’ve made throughout college so far, and I’m sure many others who have studied abroad can say the same. Below are some photos I took while I studied abroad, and hopefully these pictures may help you see what great sights may await you in Europe!
