Student Bloggers

By Tiffany D., Arcadia in London Summer, England

I am so excited to be traveling abroad to London, England. I have not left the country in literally 10 years and now I am happy to be counting down to my departure which is exactly 4 days from now. As I sit here and write this blog, my leaving becomes more real to me. In the previous months, as I was applying to scholarships and running to main offices to get an approval for this study abroad program, it didn’t really hit me. I didn’t feel like I was going to take a plane by myself for the first time without siblings or parents. It didn’t occur yet that I would have to handle all the paperwork as I hurry through the airport. Now as I am buying and packing summer clothes and checking off the list of things that was suggested by Arcadia, I feel a sense of happy nervousness.

I would say some tips for studying abroad would be to check the weather of the place that you are traveling to. You do not want to be greeted with an unpleasant surprise of winter when you've packed all summer clothes or vice versa. The second tip is to get mentally prepared: you could pray, watch YouTube videos of what other students did to prepare for their study abroad experience, update yourself on the current news of your destination and check off the list of things you may need; for example: a comforter, linens, a pillow, a European outlet plug, and an oyster card to take public transportation. Thirdly, please notify your bank of your travels so that your account won’t be blocked while you're abroad. Also, exchange your money for that of the country you are traveling to if the currency is different. Fourthly, if you have automatic payments on some things, make sure you have sufficient funds in your account to pay them while you are away or ask for a deferment. Besides gathering important documents, such as your visa, passport and other travel documents, you are ready to go. So last but not least, GET EXCITED!!! You are one of the many fortunate students able to study abroad in college. Make the most of this wonderful experience, be a sponge and soak it all up. Take lots of pictures and make some great memories. Thanks for swinging by my blog; I hope you were able to find some things helpful.

Till next time, London here I come!

Tiffany is a student at Providence College and is blogging from her summer abroad with the Arcadia in London Summer program, in London, England.