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October 10th, 2005

You’re finally getting to study abroad! Whether it’s for the summer, a semester or an entire year, studying abroad is the most exciting time biggest eye-opening experience for a lot of college students. Homesickness, unfamiliar, stressful situations, and new anxiety will definitely be a part of your trip at some point, but overall, getting the opportunity to live with a different culture and expose yourself to completely new people, foods, lifestyles and even ways of thinking will change the way you think about the world forever.

One of the biggest factors that will affect your experience and how you remember your trip is your housing situation. If you’re stuck in a miserable situation — with minimal heat or air conditioning, a cold, uninviting host family, or in a crumbling apartment, for example — it will be hard for you to make your new city feel like home or a place in which you can be comfortable. A good housing experience — with a warm, friendly family or host parent — comfortable bed and lodging, and a good neighborhood — can turn an average study abroad situation into an extraordinary one that provides you with a foundation for appreciating the culture and feeling confident enough to really explore the city and its people.

We don’t mean to make you nervous about your study abroad experience: depending on what kind of program you’re in, you’ll probably be able to switch out of a bad housing environment and into a better one if you need to. But if you want to avoid trouble altogether, prioritize your main goals and needs for the trip, and then research with your study abroad counselor different programs and services that will place you appropriately. First, figure out if you want to live alone, with students, or with a host family. Your desire to learn the language and fully assimilate into the culture, or your wish to continue to live with students your own age will determine this decision. If learning a language is your first priority, but you’re unfamiliar with the country or city, you will probably end up living with a host family, and be placed according to the program you enroll in. If you’ve already visited the city before, you might consider renting a flat by yourself, or with one other roommate. Remember, though, you’ll be responsible for all the shopping, cleaning and bills, including utilities, toilet paper and cooking.

Think very hard about what you want to get out of your study abroad experience and how well you’ve adapted to new living situations in the past. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll save yourself a lot of time, energy and worry, and will have more opportunities for having fun.

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