Do I do a year abroad?

Hi,
I have been considering applying to do a year abroad alongside my history BA degree.
Can anyone who has done a year abroad reply with their experience, including where they went and whether or not they’d recommend it! Thank you

Reply 1

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi!
So I didn't actually do a year abroad I only did a semester (which was an amazing experience and if I could have stayed for a year I would have). But through the study abroad programme I have met many people who have completed their year abroad in many different places. They never seem to have a bad thing to say about it! it is an incredible experience, so much fun, and looks great on your CV. Obviously, you have to consider how far you will be from home, how this will make you feel, what the culture will be like - but there are people around you to help and overall I couldn't recommend it more.

Hope this helps! Faye 🙂

Reply 2

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there,

I did a year abroad last year! I study BA Geography and went to Montana State University.

I'd absolutely recommend studying abroad to anyone and everyone. I had the best time and would go back in a heartbeat. Even though American culture isn't considered too different to UK culture, it was still different enough to be an incredible experience with so many valuable experiences. I have met so many great people and their families; met other like-minded exchanges and made wonderful friends; have been invited to have a place to stay whenever (and I am actually hosting them soon!); experienced a whole new university system; and took part in so many activities that I wouldn't have had the chance to do before. I can't talk enough about it!

Whether or not to study abroad is ultimately up to you. I made the choice without doing a lot of research beforehand and although I wouldn't change my experience for the world, research is something I recommend everyone does. It comes with costs, sacrifices, and surprises, so make sure you have a plan and take the time to consider every aspect. I rarely hear any negatives about study abroad, and as the YSJ Rep said, it looks great on your resume!

I've linked a short blog I wrote about my experience here. Hopefully this gives you some extra insight! If you have any questions about my experience studying abroad, don't hesitate to ask! :smile:

I hope this helps,

Isabella
Fourth-Year Geography with a Year Abroad Student

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 3

SOAS Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi,
I recently completed my year abroad in Jordan and had an amazing time! I made friends from around the world, picked up new hobbies like stargazing and hiking and drastically improved my Arabic.

Being in Jordan also gave me access to new and different environments. I had the chance to volunteer with a charity that empowers young refugee girls through education and sports. I also visited a refugee camp to interview a local about mental health within the camp and then helped to produce an article on it. I think these hands-on experiences gave me a deeper understanding of global issues and would have been difficult to access in the UK.

But I should caveat with the fact that there were some difficult aspects. I struggled with the local dialect at the beginning so this made basic tasks like grocery shopping and ordering takeout difficult. And Jordan has an issue with water scarcity so I had to be mindful of my water usage while showering and using the washing machine because it can run out. But overall, it’s an experience I’d definitely recommend.

I hope this helped; let me know if you have any questions!
-S, Final year International Relations and Arabic

You can also read about other SOAS student's experiences through these links!
https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/blog/my-study-abroad-experience-japan
https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/blog/east-london-amman-my-year-abroad-jordan