Anxiety said “Stay,” But Europe Called: Five Lessons from my Study Abroad Experience
With humor and honesty, a self-described anxious UC Irvine student shares how studying abroad in Paris and London transformed her perspective on mental health and personal growth. From celebrating her 20th birthday under the Eiffel Tower to discovering the healing power of European café culture, Harper Parsley's story proves that sometimes the best therapy is a passport and a leap of faith.
From Strangers to Family: Building Your Community Abroad
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.
It’s the Firenze We Make Along the Way
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.
Finding Your Way on Study Abroad by Embracing Abundance
If you lived in the same town your whole life, would you be excited or terrified by the idea of leaving it all behind to study abroad in another country? Both is probably the correct answer, and Morgan Taylor-Cohen (UC Los Angeles) says you have to embrace abundance to get you through to the other side.
Maximizing Your Study Abroad Internship Experience
Taking an internship while studying abroad is an excellent way to enhance your experience, gain some professional workplace skills, and start building a network of contacts. It shows future employers that you have cultural awareness and that you're willing to put yourself in uncomfortable places in order to learn. Here's how to maximize an internship abroad.