This past spring semester, I had the privilege to do a semester exchange in Strasbourg, France and I truly had the most amazing time living and studying in France! The cultural lifestyle has definitely impacted me. I feel less stress in terms of rushing to complete my life goals and I also feel like I have had so many more opportunities to explore, especially abroad. I have considered moving abroad for work, prior to studying abroad, and I now see it as an actual possibility. The classes I took at EM Strasbourg ranged from wine tasting to international accounting. I believe the course I took were informative and taught me a lot about French culture and the French business model. After completing the French Visa application (which was long & tedious) I can see myself living her post-graduation.
As I wrap my time here in Strasbourg, FR, I am reminded about how much I am going to miss studying abroad. Prior to coming abroad, I had never solo traveled or been out of North America. Now, I have been to over 17 countries and have made countless friends from different regions of the World. I remember my first night, I was so jet lagged that I passed out in my unfurnished shoebox and woke up at 4 am thinking, “there is no going back, maybe this was a mistake.” Now, I can say it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Whenever I felt lonely or missed home, I always had friends to talk to and my family was just a phone call away.
The best advice I want to give anyone studying abroad is “say yes to everything.” Make the most of studying abroad, say yes to solo traveling, say yes to exploring a new country, and say yes to hanging out with friends. Studying abroad can only be defined by what you make of it. So embrace this once in a lifetime experience and branch out, you won’t regret saying yes.
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