Introduction
Today approximately 800 American companies have a facility
overseas, with even more companies looking to expand in the global markets. In
2015, over 300,000 students from the US studied abroad; however, universities
around the country are encouraging more to join. The world today is growing
into a global society through better means of communication and travel. With
the focus on globalization and the world market, students should consider
traveling to a new country to discover new cultures, experience intercultural
communication and relations, and develop insight into how other countries
function. But how do students balance experiencing the country/culture with
their studies when they are abroad for short periods of time?
My Experience
As a two time short-term study abroad, I’ve experienced this
issue of balancing my schoolwork and exploring the culture and new traditions
around me. Both trips I took the “sleep when you’re in the US” route to make
sure I milked every second of my time abroad. Although I enjoyed my time
tremendously, learned by doing/experiencing the culture, and still did well in
my classes, it also caught up to me after a while. After about 2 weeks of
depriving myself of a goodnights sleep, my body began to shut down. After doing
this twice, I learned there are some other methods that are a bit healthier for
your body, but still give you just as much time to explore abroad.
Advice
To gain the most out of your study abroad and still do well
in your classes I would suggest:
- Print out your reading assignments or store your assignments in your phone. It’s amazing the time you have on transportation, in a park, or at a cafĂ© to do your homework, you just have to make sure you have the materials to do your work
- Designate a timeframe each day that you will do your homework, but be flexible with when that timeframe happens. I usually chose to spend my time after dinner doing homework; however, on days where there were events at night, I would eat lunch at home and do my homework until the event. This allowed me to get my work done, but still explore the things I wanted to see.
- Pay attention in class. Most of what you are tested on is material that is covered IN CLASS. You have to be in class everyday anyways, so there’s no point trying to cram what you didn’t pay attention to in class, outside of the classroom. Doing that wastes time you could have spent experiencing a new aspect of the culture.
Conclusion
Overall, I would highly encourage every student to participate
in a study abroad program. Do not discount these opportunities because you have
to do homework or go to class while abroad. There are plenty of ways to get
your work done and still have more than enough time to see and experience the
country you are studying in.
References
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