University presents itself as a place with multitudes of possibilities for everyone, but for many, university also gives students a chance to leave the country.
In their third year, Edinburgh gives a helping hand to thousands of students and sends them off to all four corners of the world. Language students often spend two years preparing for their year abroad, while others make a more spontaneous decision to go.
For those whose degrees do not require a year abroad, is it worth it? The shiny parts of the year are obvious: exploring a new city, learning a new language or culture and a chance to leave. However, the challenges are not always openly discussed, and The Student sets out to find whether this lack of conversation leads to bigger problems.
For Spanish, French, Swedish, and all other language students, a year abroad is a vital part of their degree because without immersion, no student will become fluent. Due to this, extensive lectures are given to these students showing the good and, just as importantly, the bad parts of the year. Students are presented with the challenges they will face as well as the intricate bureaucracy parts, like the dreaded learning agreement.
Students who choose to take part in a non-mandatory year abroad usually choose do so for several reasons, but the most common are to explore the world, try something new, and to meet new people. Because these students do not need to complete this year abroad for their degree some things are different, like costs and subjects they study, but overall, the experiences are extremely similar. One student in Melbourne noted that there are a lot of similarities between his life in Australia and his life in Edinburgh. Although he does not regret his choice he sometimes wonders if it was worth travelling so far to experience similar things. Most non-mandatory years abroad are conducted in English speaking countries, meaning the experiences that students have will be largely like the ones they have at home. This does not mean that every student finds it a waste of time.
A fourth year student who returned from Kazakhstan as part of their mandatory year abroad for Russian thinks it is entirely worth being uprooted for a year: “I am so glad I went, I love Edinburgh but I did not want to graduate without feeling like I took advantage of everything the university had to offer me.”
However, one third year politics and history student is glad she did not opt to do a year abroad; “I was considering going to Amsterdam, but I realised I wanted to stay in Edinburgh for my full degree. I feel as though three years would not be enough time to fully feel settled in.”
Going on a year abroad and returning can feel extremely weird; there is so much preparation for leaving that students often forget that they have to come back. One student who returned from China said that fourth year felt like first year all over again. “All my friends and I had left in third year and to be brutally honest, it felt quite odd getting back into the swing of things in Edinburgh. Also – and I know this sounds stupid – but I could not stop greeting shop owners in Chinese.”
No one can deny the effects of getting up and moving to a different country for a whole year, but everyone The Student has spoken to has not regretted their choice. Almost everyone described the experience as positive and exciting, with many saying they matured and became so much happier during the opportunity.
Whatever a student decides to do, they do not regret it. Whether you stay in Edinburgh or explore a new city, good memories will be made.
Photo by yousef alfuhigi on Unsplash