Program: UMD Exchange: University of New South Wales
Term: Spring 2016
Major: Psychology
Studying abroad helped me so much.
I loved this experience, and I have come to realize that I can do so much more during the school year than just sit in my room and study all the time. I've always been really bad at time management, but here, knowing that I would rather be out exploring than studying gave me so much more motivation to get my work done before I went out to play.
Advice for future #TerpsAbroad:
Any advice I have for any woman traveling is to put yourself out there and make friends. With those friends, take EVERY opportunity to travel while abroad together. There are so many chances to make friends and get connected with the programs the school offers. I constantly have a friend to travel around Sydney with, and honestly, it makes me feel so much safer knowing I have a buddy with me - plus you make such great memories to reminisce on later!
Knowing my friends were all home, it forced me to make new ones while abroad.
Now, I have some of the best friends who can share this amazing experience with me. They push me out of my comfort zone, make me laugh all the time, and they are all very fun to travel across country with. My independence when traveling also improved, as I relied on myself a lot more to get where I needed to go in a timely manner. Planning trips and organizing all the information also made me more self-aware and conscious, as I had to confirm dates, budget my trips, make sure I had my documents in order, etc.