A Whole Lot of Firsts

Erin Scanlan University College Dublin, Ireland

Date

January 25, 2017
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Leaving for college can be a challenging task in itself, but living more than 3,000 miles away is something that many people do not even want to think about. However, I am one of the crazy few that are willing to venture that far for six months. It feels as though I am starting over, a freshman once again, which means going through many milestones all over again, such as: getting to know your new roommates, finding your way around campus, and being terrified of upperclassmen. As my departure date creeps closer, I realize what moving to a different country means. There will be many firsts, like not spending a holiday with my family, starting a YouTube channel, going months without seeing my friends or even sharing my experiences with the entire internet! I am so ready for them, and I hope you are too.

I have chosen to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland at University College Dublin. While at UCD, I will be studying under the Arts and Humanities program. As many college students in America know, we have to fulfill a general education requirement, and what better way than to do them abroad?! Being of Irish descent, I wanted to get back to my roots a little and study abroad in the Emerald Isle. History is very important to me, something that Europe has a lot of, which is why I’m excited to travel around the continent.

Since my freshman year of high school, I have been encouraged by my teachers and parents to pursue a study abroad experience, and I did just that. In fact, my first meeting with my college adviser, I made sure to explain that I planned to study abroad for a semester. This is not my first time abroad, for I spent three weeks in Spain and Portugal in high school on a trip with many of my classmates. That trip only made me want to study abroad even more. I was so excited about studying abroad that I thought it would be a great idea to create my own YouTube channel and share my experiences to hopefully inspire others to pursue their own study abroad experience. Now, I have never edited a video in my life, so it will be a learning experience for all parties. As you look through my page, I hope you get excited about possibly going abroad. What is there not to be excited about??? There are so many possibilities!

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