Travel

Tips to Maximize Language Immersion on Study Abroad

2025-05-20T16:09:13-07:00

A UC Los Angeles engineering student shares her journey to master Spanish and connect with her Puerto Rican heritage through study abroad. Despite the challenges of fitting language immersion into a packed STEM schedule, she discovered practical strategies—from living with non-English speakers to consuming Spanish-only media—that helped her achieve fluency in just five months. Her story offers valuable insights for students seeking to maximize their language learning abroad while balancing academic requirements.

Tips to Maximize Language Immersion on Study Abroad2025-05-20T16:09:13-07:00

How Embracing Uncertainty Led to My Greatest Adventure

2025-05-05T11:02:10-07:00

A first-generation student discovers how embracing uncertainty led to an unexpected adventure in Dublin. What started as a semester abroad transformed into lasting friendships for Valerie Cruz (UC Irvine), turned into surfing the Atlantic Ocean, exploring new academic life, and a future she never imagined – returning to University College Dublin for graduate school.

How Embracing Uncertainty Led to My Greatest Adventure2025-05-05T11:02:10-07:00

From Strangers to Family: Building Your Community Abroad

2025-04-14T15:27:07-07:00

When fifty friends gathered around a makeshift Thanksgiving table in Edinburgh, they were no longer strangers but family. From joining Scotland's oldest sport to creating nightly traditions in the Warrender dorms, one UC Santa Barbara student shares how she transformed her biggest study abroad fear – loneliness – into an unforgettable story of community and connection. Through candlelit dinners, Highland adventures, and tearful goodbyes at Kings Cross Station, discover how saying "yes" to every opportunity built lasting friendships that bridged 5,000 miles.

From Strangers to Family: Building Your Community Abroad2025-04-14T15:27:07-07:00

A Solo Traveler’s Guide to Europe: Lessons from Study Abroad

2025-04-14T15:25:06-07:00

Solene Granatur, a seasoned solo traveler, shares practical tips and heartwarming moments from her study abroad journey across Europe. From navigating budget airlines to finding community in unexpected places, discover how to make the most of your solo adventures while staying safe and savvy abroad.

A Solo Traveler’s Guide to Europe: Lessons from Study Abroad2025-04-14T15:25:06-07:00

Navigating Chronic Illness on Study Abroad

2025-04-14T15:23:02-07:00

Imagine wearing an invisible backpack filled with a random number of rocks each morning - this is how Kaitlyn McWalters (UC Berkeley) describes living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Despite the daily challenges of managing a chronic illness, she chose to pursue her dream of studying in Japan. Her story offers practical insights and inspiration for students who wonder if their health conditions might prevent them from going abroad.

Navigating Chronic Illness on Study Abroad2025-04-14T15:23:02-07:00

Reflections on Studying Abroad in Germany

2025-04-14T15:28:47-07:00

As a first-generation student who immigrated from South Korea, (UC Berkeley) Youngseong Ryu's semester in Berlin marked more than just a study abroad experience—it was a milestone in personal growth. Through Berlin's stunning architecture, rich artistic culture, and complex history, he discovered new perspectives that would shape his future as an art educator.

Reflections on Studying Abroad in Germany2025-04-14T15:28:47-07:00

Food Experiences that Defined My Mediterranean Study Abroad Experience

2025-04-14T15:29:47-07:00

Journey through Florence, Rome, and Barcelona as Yvonne Liu (UC Berkeley) shares all the ways that Mediterranean cuisine and culture intersect to create transformative study abroad moments that reinforce tradition, connection, and discovery.

Food Experiences that Defined My Mediterranean Study Abroad Experience2025-04-14T15:29:47-07:00

From ‘Sopa’ to Fluent: A Year of Learning Spanish in Madrid

2025-04-14T15:34:35-07:00

Growing up in California with years of Spanish classes can make you think you're ready to live in Spain, but real fluency comes not from classes or textbooks. Rather, it comes from embracing the awkward moments and making mistakes. Read (UC Santa Barbara) Aileen Pulchney's humorous and honest adventures of learning to speak Spanish in Madrid.

From ‘Sopa’ to Fluent: A Year of Learning Spanish in Madrid2025-04-14T15:34:35-07:00

The 4 H’s of Study Abroad: Honeymoon, Hostility, Humor, and Home

2025-04-14T15:35:40-07:00

Studying abroad is a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. Read the advice shared by Tanesia Williams (UC Santa Cruz) regarding the 4 H's of study abroad: honeymoon, hostility, humor, and home to better understand the experience.

The 4 H’s of Study Abroad: Honeymoon, Hostility, Humor, and Home2025-04-14T15:35:40-07:00

It’s the Firenze We Make Along the Way

2025-04-14T15:39:53-07:00

Trey Timberlake (UC Berkeley), a gay man from Palm Springs, California, challenged his childhood feelings of isolation and otherness as well as his fear of masculinity while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. See why Trey describes study abroad as the most transformative experience of his life.

It’s the Firenze We Make Along the Way2025-04-14T15:39:53-07:00
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