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STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM - STUDENT EXPERIENCES
Michal Lynn Vilushis How did you select your Study/Intern Abroad location? London seems like the common place for people to start off a study abroad experience. I like that it wasn’t as stressful as one would be with language barriers. But I also just felt like it would be a great place to visit, with so much history and so much culture. It’s a big melting pot. Why did you want to study or intern abroad? I really wanted to study abroad because I never get the chance to travel. I am 21 years old and I have only been out of the state a handful of times. I am young, and I wanted the experience of travel and a taste of my dream career while I could still have it. I also felt like it would give me a taste of the real world. All I knew was my hometown and school, and the culture shock was scary but necessary. What was the highlight of this experience? The highlight, to be honest, was just getting there. Realizing that I was in another country, experiencing a time change and a different way of life. I got to make new friends, and overcome my fear of being so completely alone in a new place. I got to travel the Tube by myself to work. It was just a huge rush of independence. What surprised you the most? For the most part, I was prepared for all of the big changes, the accents and the time difference. Still, there’s no denying how much it affects you. I hated calling home, ready to go to bed and my parents and sister would just be about to have dinner. I couldn’t really grasp the time difference, and it affected me a lot at first with jet lag, but it was still nice. How has (or how might) this experience affect your major and future career? I actually got hands-on experience at a radio station. They let me write news stories and record fake bulletins and I even got to shadow a night shift and have a sound bite featuring me air. My parents even got to hear it through the streaming site. I feel like I know a bit more now about how the radio business works because I actually worked. And even though I worked at the news desk, and it’s not necessarily my ideal section of radio, I know now that I would like a job in that field if I could be so lucky. What would you tell students considering studying or interning abroad? I would, without a doubt, encourage anyone considering the opportunity to do it! I am a very shy person. I never do anything crazy. Everyone was shocked that I actually made the efforts to set this up and fly by myself across the country. It is a great experience, especially for someone who feels like they just need a change of pace. That was a huge part of why I decided to study abroad. It doesn’t necessarily have to change your life, but it will make you stronger and it’s something you will never forget in your entire lifetime. |
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