Despite how exciting it sounds, many ask whether the experience is worth the huge hassle of the preparation and bureaucracy that precedes it, along with the fear of the cost of the time abroad.
Like many young people, an itch for travel and worldwide experience has followed me for many years and was in part what drew me to study Combined Honours at Newcastle. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to spend the first semester of my final year across the Atlantic at the University of Vermont, where I could do more than I could ever imagine, from hiking the titular Green Mountains to kayaking on the beautiful Lake Champlain and playing American football with my fellow international buddies.
I was lucky enough to spend the first semester of my final year across the Atlantic at the University of Vermont
Before my studies even commenced I was lucky enough to be able to travel across America for a month, exploring the bustling cities of San Francisco and Boston, seeing amazing cultural sights like the Chicago Bean sculpture, reconnecting with family members I have not seen for over a decade, and getting to spend quality time with my partner.
An understated benefit of doing this solo was the greater independence skills I gained in my month of travelling; I made my way across the states by plane and train; I slept on 16-hour-long Greyhound buses; I stayed in hostels nestled in bustling metropolises. This travel section of my study abroad experience made the whole thing worth it. Although, it did require countless hours of gruelling hospitality shifts to pay for it…
Studying at an American college felt like a fever dream a lot of the time. From the roar of the ice hockey crowd and the bizarre chants that you were meant to know, to the drastically different style of education when compared to the countless essays I was doing at Newcastle, it was a steep learning curve that you had to adapt to very quickly but I found myself quickly preferring it.
Studying at an American college felt like a fever dream a lot of the time.
At Vermont, two other people were coming from Newcastle, and we quickly settled in with other international students on exchange from around the world, creating inseparable bonds and making friends for life. We sang Stick Season by Noah Kahan an unfathomable number of times and had each other's backs while navigating the sometimes crazy American way of life.
The friendships I made during my time abroad, being able to grow closer with the person I love, and the experiences I was able to have thanks to the amazing program offered by Newcastle make me hugely confident in saying that it is worth it. Every Newcastle student should be seeing if they can do something similar because it will change their life, and give them an experience they will never forget.
