7 Habits of Successful Study Abroad Students

7 Habits of Successful Study Abroad Students | Study Abroad and Beyond Studying abroad is a big deal. Moving away from everything that is familiar for a few months can be daunting, but there are some ways to stand out as a student who is destined for success.

In the years I have worked in / participated in study abroad, I have interacted with hundreds of students. However, I can think of the stand-out students very easily – by name and by face.

These students made an impression on me by overcoming challenges of all sorts, establishing rapport with me, and looking critically at their experiences. Heck, some of them even came to work with me after their programs because they were such all-stars!

Here are some habits that all successful study abroad students have developed and demonstrated.

1. They check their emails

The best study abroad students are on top of things. They respond in a timely manner to emails prior to leaving the country, and also ask their study abroad and academic advisors questions (maybe after reading some of the important documents about their programs).

By establishing this as a habit early, students are paving the way for responding to the many emails they get from their home universities when abroad (reminders for housing, registration, emergency response emails…) and keeping an open line of communication with the study abroad advisor.

In keeping this line of communication open, students will have more opportunities for references, support on scholarship applications, potential peer advisor positions, and sometimes even some individual tips on resumes and interviewing strategies. This all stems from great communication!

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2. They read their documents

We know that there is a lot to read. Trust me. We had to write or proofread most of the stuff that we give to you.

However, successful study abroad students have read 75 percent of their documents within a month of their acceptance to a program. These students know that there is a reason for a 90-page pre-departure book, a 3-page visa information booklet, and those bolded, flagged-as-important emails that stress us out so much.

Also, successful students make notes of things that don’t make sense and bring them up to their advisors for clarification before leaving the country. We know that these documents are mostly dry and uninteresting, but, much like bran flakes, they are good for you and not as bad as they sound.

3. They attend all of their meetings

Watching Netflix is far more fun than attending meetings. However, students who schedule and attend meetings (for course approval, financial aid, visa appointments, pre-departure and the like) have a far higher rate of success than those who do not attend any meetings.

The meetings will likely cover topics that are specific to you – how to find housing, how to make good choices abroad, how to deal with your bank, tips for communication strategies when you’re abroad, how to find out arrival information, and more. Much more.

We know that all of the meetings for studying abroad are tedious. | Study Abroad and Beyond

4. They own up to their mistakes

Some of the best students still make mistakes (like not checking their passports for six months’ of validity after their scheduled return date to the United States). However, what sets these students apart is that they own up to these mistakes. Look at the difference between these sentences:

You didn’t tell me to check my passport expiration date
I didn’t check my passport expiration date because it completely slipped my mind

As administrators, we will react much more favorably to the second sentence than the first one (because, I promise you, we asked you about your passport before you completed your application). We all make mistakes, but we love it when students own up to their oversights.

5. They research their destination country, city, and school

These are beginning to be predictable, right?

Knowledge is power. The best students use a variety of sources to research their destination(s) before departure – the website of the school / program, international news sources, local news and visitor centers, language learning sources, school websites, Pinterest, et cetera.

These students have also sought out returned study abroad students or exchange students and asked about how best to prepare for their time abroad (and yes, I mean asking questions about the city, the people, and the classes instead of just the best bars).

6. They communicate and engage

Successful students go beyond responding to emails and aim to establish relationships with their study abroad advisors, their homestay family / flatmates, and their classmates.

They also keep their families (and sometimes their study abroad providers) in the loop with their plans and travel ideas (and they register their trips with the STEP Program), and openly discuss their concerns and their family’s concerns well in advance of the date of departure.

Yes, you too can study abroad! | Study Abroad and Beyond

Related Post: Why You Should Use the STEP Program

7. They follow the rules of improv… within reason

The rules of improv are simple – always say yes. The students who are most successful open themselves to new experiences and maybe end up saying “I didn’t know I had it in myself to learn the fine art of throat singing, but now I’m going on tour.”

Try some of the local wine (you were going to anyway).

Visit a random museum that looks really… different (like the museum in Stockholm that honors a gigantic failure of a ship).

Stop using the words “better” or “worse” and embrace the term “different.”

Lean in to serendipity.

Play a pick-up game of soccer (football) even though you haven’t played in years.

Spend time getting to know yourself.

(Disclaimer: while you should say yes to a lot of things, your advisors do encourage you to check the exclusions on your health insurance prior to saying yes to some extreme sports, however).

The more you put into your experiences, the more you will get out of living abroad!

Are you excited about becoming a rock star of a study abroad student? Learn more about the types of programs that are available to students, and visit the comments to talk about how to study abroad successfully!