Highlights of My Study Abroad Experience

Hi! My name is Isabella, and I am currently studying Geography at the University of Chester. As part of my course, I had the unique opportunity to study abroad for a year at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Having recently returned home from this experience, I wanted to reflect and share with you some of the highlights and lessons from my time there.

Developing skills

While studying at university equips you with the essential skills you need and teaches you how to apply them to the real world, studying abroad goes a step further and offers a unique opportunity to develop a wider range of skills, both personally and professionally.

From that first step onto the plane, I adopted a new mindset. I was reliant on myself now and was extremely excited for what lay ahead. I had to become confident in my abilities to tackle anything that came my way, including an unfamiliar school system, different languages and cultures, and a major time difference!

With more deadlines to meet, navigating solo travel, networking, and new experiences, I’ve been able to develop so many skills that will help me in all aspects of my life going forward. I’ve had the opportunity to work on my independence, confidence, and time management skills, and have had to become very self-reliant while living so far away from my support network.

Exciting new experiences

Studying abroad truly opened my eyes to all of the incredible things that are out there for me. I wasn’t aware of the variety of great academic and employment opportunities that are within reach, as well as the amazing recreational experiences. I have had so many wonderful times during my stay in the US that I am extremely grateful for. From exploring Yellowstone National Park and attending football and hockey games, to hiking the beautiful mountains and watching the northern lights in awe!

Experiencing culture differences is also a great part of studying abroad. The school culture within classes, at campus activities, and at big events like football games were so different to what I am used to.

Getting to experience all of these different things has taught me that good things can happen when I push myself out of my comfort zone. It has helped me discover a new passion for things, and I am now more confident than ever to take risks and be curious.

Learning to overcome hardships

While studying abroad appears to be perfect, there were some challenges. However, these turned out to be useful learning experiences and they didn’t impact all of the incredible things I was able to experience.

Language barriers, lifestyle differences, and disagreements happen, but I’ve learned that complications aren’t the end of the world. Humour, tone, context, and body language can get lost in translation, but it was always a necessary learning experience to understand more about different cultures and to work on staying open-minded and kind.

Through this, I learned to stay calm during challenging situations. Whether this was hiking with wild animals during sundown, dealing with extreme weather, navigating the time difference, or making new friends, I have now learned to stay calm and confident in my abilities to tackle anything.

Lifelong friendships and new connections

I am extremely lucky to have met the people I did when abroad. I now have friends from all over the world, many new connections in my host state, academic references, and new pen-pals!

The incredibly warm hospitality, willingness to learn about my culture, and allowing me the space and time to learn and adapt to theirs speaks volumes as to the quality of people I met. My time there and the interactions I had really helped to develop my intercultural competence, respect, and appreciation for others.

Understanding what is out there

As well as exciting new recreational activities, studying abroad also opened my eyes to all of the academic and career opportunities out there. Whether it was the range of classes I could take, the people I met, or the places I went, I am reassured in the fact that I can achieve things that I didn’t even know existed before!

Knowing that I can experiment with new ideas and the realisation that there is more out there than just in my local area has helped me immensely when thinking about the future. This gave me the confidence to branch out both personally and academically and has helped me on my journey to finding out what I truly want to do after graduation and in the future.

Make sure to check out our Geography and other undergraduate degrees to see how you can get connected to the world by studying at the University of Chester.