Q: Initially, what made you decide to study abroad? Why did you choose your program?
A: Wanted a new experience, different learning style, and to see Europe,
Q: How do you think COVID-19 uniquely impacted what you learned as a study abroad student?
A: COVID practice and caution is at a low ebb in Europe, so it was easy to learn and connect with people in person.
Q: What was the highlight of your study abroad experience?
A: The ability to see how other countries treat people.
Q: What was your greatest challenge abroad and how did you overcome it?
A: Finding housing, making friends.
Q: How did your coursework abroad compare to your courses at UC Merced?
A: It was more difficult; there were fewer, larger assignments that required using a larger knowledge pool; the pace of classes was faster (6 weeks) and there was more reading than a typical UC Merced class for a comparable period.
Q: What did you gain from your study abroad experience?
A: A sense of how complex an in-depth study of anything is, and how studying is not the same as learning. I also learned that traveling is a difficult lifestyle that requires careful planning but has its own unique rewards.
Q: What advice do you have for students considering study abroad?
A: Stay connected with your friends & family at home at least once per week; learn the language where you are traveling; if you can homestay/couch surf with locals, do so because paid lodging in Europe is expensive; plan your trip ahead of time as much as you can: figure out how much things will cost (daily, weekly, monthly budget) how much time precisely you will stay, and find a place to live MONTHS in advance.
Q: Describe a typical day abroad.
A: I would wake up and go to class, and I ate out out at various cafe's, brasseries, and food carts at least once per day, which is more than I would do in the US (because I also went for the food); I also went to the club and bars in the evenings more than I do in the US, it is part of the youth culture in Europe to drink with most meals and go clubbing periodically.
Q: If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go and why?
A: Japan because I have basic travel skills now that I didn't 5 months ago, but it's even more different culturally than Western Europe and I want to branch out culturally even more.
