Packing Light
If you’re wondering how many items to bring for your study abroad program and are worried you’ll bring too much (or too little), don’t worry! I have been in your shoes before, and from experience, I can attest to how much is…
UT Education Abroad Blog
Inspiring Longhorns to Explore the World
UT Education Abroad Blog
Inspiring Longhorns to Explore the World
Category Peer Notes
Reflections on specific experiences from our Peer Advisors that truly made their trip unique.
New Folks—Who is this? Managing Cross-Cultural Ideas with a Host Family
Living with a host family offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience a new culture and to practice a new language, but it can also seem daunting. Living in a new country comes with navigating new spaces, unfamiliar languages, and different cultural expectations,…
Homesickness While You’re Abroad: Finding Comfort Far from Home
Studying abroad is often described as exciting, transformative, and life-changing — and it truly is. But what people don’t always talk about as openly is homesickness. At some point, whether it’s during your first week or halfway through your program, you may feel that…
Cash or Card? Grocery Shopping Abroad
Hey Longhorns! One of my favorite things about going abroad is exploring local grocery stores and comparing them to ones back home. Grocery shopping is like a window into culture, showing how a society lives and eats. Texans are familiar…
Your First-Year Guide to Studying Abroad
Starting your college career at The University of Texas at Austin means new classes, new friends, and a huge campus to explore. But there is another opportunity, which many students don’t realize they can start planning for right away: studying…
Navigating the Spanish Visa Process
Congratulations on being accepted into a study abroad program in Spain! After going through the arduous process of applying and gaining admission to a program, students studying in Spain then face what seems to be an even more challenging application…
Managing Parents
As an only child and the daughter of immigrant parents, studying abroad was a daunting idea for me. Especially since I had only completed my first semester of freshman year when I decided to apply. Everything around me felt big…
International Flights: A Few Things I Wish I Had Known
Before I dive in, I want to preface by saying that I’m writing this post from personal experience while studying abroad, combined with a lot of trial and error (and Google searches). If you’re preparing for your own study abroad…
Logging Your Memories Abroad: Journaling and Scrapbooking Your Experience
When I first arrived in Paris, I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. Every street was new, I was starting classes with unfamiliar faces, and every conversation in French was a challenge. I also found that I had a…