Making The Most Of Your Time
- About FSU
- Accessibility
- Administration & Finance
- Board of Trustees
- Enrollment and Student Development
- Facilities and Capital Planning
- Human Resources
- Institutional Effectiveness
- News & Events
- Office of Institutional Assessment
- Office of Institutional Research
- Office of the President
- Transportation Services
- Administrative Offices
- Marketing and Communications
- Business Office
- Office of Grants & Sponsored Programs
- Academics
- Colleges
- Arts and Humanities
- Art and Music
- Communication, Media, and Performance
- English
- Fashion Design and Retailing
- History
- Liberal Studies
- World Languages
- Business
- Education & Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Education
- Geography
- Global Studies
- Political Science
- Psychology and Philosophy
- Sociology
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
- Biology
- Chemistry and Food Science
- Computer Science
- Environmental Science and Policy
- Food and Nutrition
- Mathematics
- Nursing
- Physics and Earth Science
- Arts and Humanities
- Academic Affairs
- Catalogs
- The Advising Center
- Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA)
- Continuing Education
- Browse Courses
- Continuing Education Degree Programs
- Undergraduate Certificates
- Non-Credit Courses
- Lifelong Learning Programs
- Continuing Professional Education
- English Language Programs
- Course Information and Cost
- Register for Our Programs
- ELP Parking/Map
- ELP Calendar 2021/2022
- International Student Information
- Meet our Faculty
- Meet our Staff
- Individualized Study Plans and Specialized Tutoring
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- Refund Policy
- Campus Housing for English Language Students
- Academic Calendar
- Tuition and Fees
- Continuing Education Admissions
- Undergraduate Coordinators and Advisors
- Contact Our Staff
- Explore Programs
- Graduate Studies
- Browse Courses
- Graduate Admissions
- Tuition and Fees
- Catalogs
- International Education
- Graduate Program Forms
- Academic Calendar
- Graduate Program Coordinators and Advisors
- Student Handbook
- Contact Our Staff
- Henry Whittemore Library
- Office of the University Registrar
- Honors Program
- Commencement
- Colleges
- The FSU Difference
- Career Services and Employer Relations
- Centers & Institutes
- Center for Climate Change Education
- Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship and Service
- Centers for Early Childhood Education
- Center for Global Education
- Center for Inclusive Excellence
- Center for Social Research
- Chris Walsh Center for Educators and Families of MetroWest
- Civic Engagement and Service Learning Center
- Entrepreneur Innovation Center
- Mancuso Humanities Workforce Preparation Center
- Inclusive Excellence
- Planetarium
- Study Abroad
- Arts & Ideas
- New Student and Family Programs
- FSU Environmentalism
- Meet Our Students and Faculty
- Modern Spaces
- Admissions & Aid
- Student Life
- Campus Events
- Clubs
- Counseling Center
- Health Center
- Information Technology Services
- Residence Life and Housing
- Dining
- Commuter Services
- Sexual Harassment & Assault Prevention & Education
- Student Development
- Student Services Center
- Wellness
- Student Involvement and Leadership Development (SILD)
- University Police
- Veteran Services
- Office of Community Standards
- Health & Wellness
- Alumni
- Search
- Roles
These are a few tips for staying on top of your game while you’re abroad:
- Spend as much time as possible with locals. Making friends in your classes is the easiest way to do this, but there are other ways to immerse yourself.
- Branch out to other local universities, or ask local students where the hotspots are to socialize to meet other students.
- Make friends with the local market and shop owners.
- Join a language exchange to practice the local language and help a local learn English.
- Spend time with your home-stay family.
- Join a local sports club or team or find a local park where they play sports.
- Take culture classes apart from your program.
- Ask about volunteer opportunities in the community, at schools, hospitals, museums, or NGOs. Which also look great on a resume.
- Limit the amount of time you spend checking up on friends and family in the US. It has been shown to lengthen the culture shock integration time and it detracts from the amount of time you can spend experiencing the new place you are in.
- Choose local restaurants, ask local shops what to eat for lunch, watch local TV!
- If you are in Europe especially, people-watching is a well-practiced art. Do as the locals do! For the price of a slowly-savored coffee or local pastry, you can spend at least an hour people-watching in a local café.
- Visit museums! It’s often worthwhile to go with a guide (book or person), to learn about the art or history highlighted and to consider how such information might be presented by a local or a foreigner. Ask about student discounts. If you have an ISIC (International Student Identification Card), it will often get you a discounted entrance, and many museums have lower prices on certain days of the week.
- If you’re going to travel, consider traveling within your host country and getting to know it in depth. It’s tempting to travel throughout the region, especially if you have friends studying in countries nearby, but long-distance trips for short times can be exhausting, so you might want to save such trips for longer durations.
- Treat yourself well: rest, eat well, and don’t spend so much time (and money) drinking that hangovers get in the way of exploring and experiencing your host country. Too many late nights, not enough solid nutrition, or too much alcohol can really slow you down, not to mention leave you susceptible to serious illness and other risks. And how are you supposed to appreciate travel if you are constantly unwell?
- Continue to stay abreast of local and national political, health, weather, and safety conditions, as well as international news.
.jpg)