Alumni Ambassadors

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable… amazing things will happen!!

Keep in touch with your friends and family while you’re gone.

Enjoy every second, the ups and downs make for the best experiences of your life!

Take advantage of your time abroad!!! Don’t waste any of it!! Try to always be doing something!

Be as adventurous as possible!

So I’ve decided that studying abroad is like breaking in new shoes. Can be painful at times, especially, in the beginning but the journey trekked is beautiful, challenging, and perpetual. It is a whole lot different than the typical college life us kids from the states are used to or is considered the “norm”. I have to say staying in a place for more than a few weeks gives you time to depict, observe, and really grasp that factors that play a factor in the culture that engulfs that specific country. There is so much to it, it’s not just the stereotypes: it’s the food, the people, the mannerisms, the little idiosyncrasies, the political temperament, and the geographical location.

Immerse yourself into the culture around you!

Figure out how your abroad school handles class registration before the process begins.

Try everything you possibly can!

Enjoy the city you’ve chosen to live in! Travel is tempting, but make sure you allow time to fully appreciate the wonderful place you get to call home!

Have an open mind and open heart, reach out to the community that is being provided to you through CISabroad as well as your University.

Take advantage of all the opportunities you receive and don’t be afraid to try new things and be open.

Spend time in your host city! I know being abroad is exciting and you get bit by the travel bug several times but it is important that you spend some time in your city because you want to get to know all the history and sites. If you’re doing a homestay, make time for your host family and to get to know them because they are the hub to understand and learn about the host country and culture.

Don’t let your nerves get the best of you. Get out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in the different cultures!

As long as you have the confidence, you can do anything you put your mind to.

Be open to trying new things. Join activities on campus that you normally wouldn’t and reach out to fellow classmates to make friends. The more you involve yourself on campus and in the surrounding the culture, the more you will get out of your experience abroad.

Don’t be afraid to explore the place you venture to! Your adventure in a new county will bring you a lot of great surprises and they could even be down the street in a new country.

Be open to all opportunities. Say yes even if it scares you (reasonably, of course!). You will encounter so many new and exciting things while abroad so don’t let yourself miss out on them!

Enjoy every moment as it comes, live in the moment, and put your phone down every once in a while. It’s worth it.

One piece of advice I would tell future CISabroad students is to definitely reach out to the CIS directors of where you are staying and form a relationship with them because they can help you with absolutely anything, even if you need to just talk. Also, make sure to budget which will ease a lot of stress but most of all have fun!

Embrace the cultural differences and be open to different ways of living life!

Study earnestly, speak honestly, journey energetically, and have a mind that is as open and as expansive as a never-ending book. Living abroad may seem like a big step out of one’s well known day to day life, but it can oftentimes be a step that puts your day to day into a clear perspective you may have not seen before! Study abroad is not only sitting in a classroom and learning. Nor is it solely partying and adventuring. It is truly an experience of how to understand this life from a different perspective. It is a chance to study life abroad, in a surrounding you would not normally be within.

Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone and try new things!