TAKING BREAKS MIDWAY IN A COURSE TO PURSUE WHAT YOUR HEART DESIRES IS A CHOICE THAT YOU HAVE WHEN PURSUING AN INTERNATIONAL DEGREE. ARCHANA BHARATHAN’S EXPERIENCE STANDS TESTIMONY. HERE’S HER STORY IN HER OWN WORDS 

   Iremember the day clear as yesterday. I had a deadline, an exam to study for; my roommate had left the dishes in the sink as usual..... but that’s not what gave me the cold, icky feeling in my gut. I had just realised that there was nothing –not one single class– I wanted to study next semester. Here I was in one of the best public universities in the country and there was nothing I could find to take next semester. And we talk about pressure!

   This couldn’t be happening, I repeated over and over again. I somehow got to Mrs Field’s –I needed chocolate. And I needed it bad. But before I could lay hands on the biggest, fudgiest brownie in the display I saw the flyer - The ‘Study Abroad Fair’ flyer. ‘Study Abroad”!- everybody was talking about it. It seemed to be the latest academic fad to hit campus, but I was desperate. Brownie forgotten I got talking with my next best friend: Mr Google.

   In no time at all I was on my university’s OIP website –the Office of International Programs reading up on how ‘study abroad’ would change my life. At first, the ‘googling’ and researching was part of my famous procrastination tactics. I mean who was I kidding? I didn’t have the greatest grades and believe-you-me I didn’t know if I could afford any of these far-away universities. And most importantly, I wanted to graduate in four years. Could I really take a break midway through my undergraduate programme – ruminate in another city, get away from it all–complete my coursework and graduate in time?

   No way, I told myself. Impossible! I’ve been wrong before.
Lesson #1:

Get your facts straight before jumping to assumptions.

a.

You don’t need an unblemished 4.0. What you need is a strong application package. That’s code for “write a stellar essay.”

b.

A study abroad sometimes is cheaper than your fees in your university. In fact, my year in the oh-so-expensive LSE was cheaper than my American university.

c.

And most importantly for me…..you can still graduate in four years. Your coursework from your study abroad programme will generally count toward your degree. But before you start dreaming of becoming an elite global citizen, you’ve got to figure out what kind of study abroad programme you want?Lesson #2:

Plan, plan, plan. And while planning, ask yourself:

a.

When do you want to go? Your junior year? For how long? A semester? A summer? A year?

b.

Where do you want to go? A university town or a cosmopolitan city? A research university or a more laid back one?

c.

What kind of programme do you want to enrol in? Want to improve your Portuguese? Gain access to a world renowned physics lab? Watch global warming first hand or write an essay on how globalisation affects Ghana? Once you’ve figured your answers, written up that essay, memorised the ins and outs of your university’s OIP website, know the names of your counsellors’ children as if they were your own...... you hit the ‘send’ button. You heave a sigh of relief. Now, all you got do is wait. Right? Wrong!

   Now that you’ve sent off the application, you focus on the details. Which exact classes am I going to take in my host university? How much time will it take to process my visa? Do I need to look for housing? When I started lining up my ducks –health shots, visa paperwork, insurance logistics I wanted to scream. Didn’t I just do this when I came to the US? Now, I have to do it again? Is it really worth it? Gosh, yes! Else, how would we get to.....

Lesson #3:

The best things come to those who wait. Once you get to your host country and university, the world’s suddenly your personal oyster

a.

You get the chance to break out of your academic routine and reinvent yourself

b.

You get to push at the limits of your comfort zone everyday.

c.

And one of the dirty little secrets of study abroad? Nine out of 10 times your grades don’t affect your GPA. What does this mean? It means you can get a B- and still be OK for grad school. It means you can study one topic in depth and take time to enjoy it instead of fretting over which parts to learn and which parts to skip so that you can get a B+ on the test. So, if you’re anything like me, this is the point when that monkey called ‘pressure’ slides off your back and scampers away. I didn’t know what I was looking for when I left for a study abroad. And the truth is…..nobody does. I thought I was going on an academic quest..... but it isn’t about grades or about putting the great LSE on your resume (though, well, that doesn’t hurt), it’s to put that experience on your life’s resume. The brave thing isn’t going on the study abroad; it’s allowing yourself to make the journey once you get there.

(The writer is a graduate student of international relations in the University of Michigan)