• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

You are here: Home / Life / Study Abroad: A Six Month Vacation?

Study Abroad: A Six Month Vacation?

May 5, 2011 //  by Nolan DiFrancesco//  Leave a Comment

FacebookTweet

 

I’ve heard it said time and again. Study abroad is a reprieve from real life, six months of pure vacation. School is easy… too easy. Grades don’t even count. All you need to do is find a way to pass. The good life, right?

The weather is gorgeous. The women are beautiful. The nightlife is plentiful. Who needs to show up to class? This is generally the romanticized version of the study abroad experience.

Well… get real. Studying abroad is no summer holiday. Don’t get me wrong, it is meant to be the time of your life. But if you have an ounce of free time, you’re doing it wrong. If you don’t experience some form of culture shock, you’re doing it wrong. If you aren’t challenged by classes or research or language acquisition in a foreign environment, you’re doing it wrong.

Now, I’m never one to endorse unnecessary stress. While traveling for travel’s sake or running from one exotic destination to another just for a visa stamp and bragging rights is not the way to go, neither is working too hard on something as trivial as schoolwork when there are so many more adventures to be had. There is certainly a balance between really engaging with one’s surroundings–immersing oneself in the customs and the people–versus moving from one place to another in a sampling of buffet-style cultures.

But the time spent abroad is said by all veterans to be full of the memories most often cherished in the college career. These are the character-defining experiences that become the basis for so many memorable stories. These might not be the kind of stories you’ll be keen to tell the grandchildren one day, but they will be ones that last a lifetime nonetheless.

So go out, enjoy that beach, work on that tan, party like it’s 1999. But also travel with a passion, learn a new language and establish friendships that will last far longer than the semester abroad. There is no time to waste.  For my part, at the end of this “vacation” I’m going to be in need of one helluva vacation.

FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Life Study Abroad

About Nolan DiFrancesco

Junior > International Studies > Johns Hopkins University

You May Also Like

10 Best Presents For Your Perfect Pup

30 Foolproof Gifts for Every Type of Boyfriend

christmas gifts for mom

35 Best Christmas Gifts for Mom that She’ll Actually Love

Top 10 Non-Materialistic Gift Ideas

20 Gifts for Parents That They Actually Want

10 Places in Philadelphia to Relax When You Need a Day Off

Social Media Stock Photo

Hi, I’m Niko. And I’m Addicted to Social Media.

10 Gifts Your Girlfriend Actually Wants

10 Gifts Your Girlfriend Actually Wants

Listen to the Experts: Maintaining Mental Health in the College Environment

Top 10 Freshman Rites of Passages at Cornell

The U.S. Education Connection: What’s Going On?

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Opt for a Random Double Freshman Year

10 Can’t Miss Music Conferences for Music Faculty

10 Movies to Get You Through the Rest of the Semester

must-watch k dramas

10 Must-Watch K Dramas for Every College Student

10 Majors to Tackle Climate Change as a College Student

10 Ways to Survive Juggling College Demands

city-hall

24 Things To Do in 24 Hours in Alachua, Florida

Top 10 DIY Gifts for your BFF

10 Ways to Get Turnt If You’re Under 21 at Penn State University

How to Write a LinkedIn Summary That Sounds Legit

The 10 Types of Straight Guys You’ll Find at NYU

The Reality of the Indian College Experience

Secrets to Managing Your Time Well

Previous Post: « The Red Light to Procrastination
Next Post: I May Not Be a Celebrity Journalist, But… »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

2203

10 Gifts Every Little Wants From Her Big

10 Gifts Your Girlfriend Actually Wants
516

10 Gifts Your Girlfriend Actually Wants

299

20 Gifts for Parents That They Actually Want

98

Top 10 Non-Materialistic Gift Ideas

77

10 Most Irresistible Moments at the Amy Porterfield Entrepreneur Experience

Featured Chapter: University of Florida

University of Florida Football Stadium

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

Copyright © 2019 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.