My Study abroad Story
I am a psychology with counselling student here at YSJ who in the first semester of my second year studied abroad at Juniata College in Pennsylvania USA!
This study abroad experience in America was one of the main reasons that I chose to study at YSJ. I loved how you could study for the first four months (August to December) abroad and study back in the UK for the remaining year. A full year abroad would have been too much time away from home for me, and I like how this way my grades are integrated into my overall degree.
My experience was an unforgettable one that I will miss forever; however, it wasn’t a smooth road getting there. If you’re going to study abroad in America, it is very important that you start your visa application early. This is because you have to go for a visa interview at U.S embassy in London and these slots book up very quickly. You also have to allow for extra time for any delays. For example, my initial visa application was denied due to one of my documents not being printed out in the correct format! Also, be wary of visa application fees as they are definitely not cheap. Furthermore, make sure when you’re packing your hand luggage for your flight that you pack a change of clothes and medication just in case. This was useful for me as my connecting flight was cancelled due to weather.
Once you arrive, I can promise you, you will not look back as everything is so new and exciting. We were kept extremely busy, so we didn’t have any time to feel homesick. We took part in ‘inbound’, where you choose activities to help you get settled and meet new people. I ended up hiking and going up to the lake, playing games and kayaking which at the time was very out of my comfort zone. But now I would do anything to go back to that feeling of bobbing along on the water in the bright hot sunshine with the only thing I can see in the distance being trees.
The campus was beautiful and extremely well looked after and everybody I met was so lovely to talk to. We had catered meals, and the cafeteria was huge with so many options to choose from. Another thing you could choose (prior to arrival) was your classes. This was an amazing opportunity for me to choose classes closer to my own interests. Class sizes were small, and every professor was so knowledgeable and friendly. The way the classes are run and the passion from the professors brought back my love for studying psychology.
Of course there was a lot more to do outside of studying. For example, I joined the kickline dance team. We did many performances, including dancing at the homecoming football game. The college also put on different fun activities each week. For example, I took part in, kitten yoga, tote bag painting, terrarium making, pizza making, a trip to the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh and a petting zoo. There were also many Juniata traditions to take part in. For example, Lobster fest, where everybody got to eat a whole Lobster each which I had never tried before. Mountain day, where nobody knows which day it will be on, but the morning of, everyone is awoken to a day of classes being cancelled. On Mountain Day we all go up to the lake for a day of fun lake activities. We had snow cones, a barbeque, paddle boarding and me and my roommate had our caricatures drawn.
The weather made the best change from the UK with mainly blue skies and hot sunshine all the way to October. Then in December we had brisk cold weather and beautiful thick powdery snow (perfect for snowball fights and snowmen making).
As a student you cannot miss out on such an opportunity. Head to YSJs Study Abroad website to find out your courses destinations and how to apply. The study abroad team was always amazing at responding to my emails so make sure to reach out.
Packing up your stuff and moving half way across the world is a thrilling but difficult and brave task. It’s very normal to be nervous, I was extremely nervous, but don’t let that stop you. Go ahead and take that once in a lifetime opportunity!
Find out more about Study Abroad at York St John
