Have you ever wanted to study in a different country? Absorb the language and culture of foreign peers? Take classes adjacent to the Eiffel Tower or the Roman Colosseum? Well, you’re in luck—Pace Study Abroad has all that and more! But, if you’re anything like me, you may have some FOMO at the thought of missing out on a semester at Pace with all your friends. I’m here to tell you that going abroad will not make you miss out on the connections you can make at Pace University. 

I spent last semester in Paris, following the MICEFA program offered at Pace. After studying French for nine years, it was always on my bucket list to live in France to practice the language and experience the culture—this was the perfect way to dip my toes into life in Europe. If you’ve never left the country before, like me prior to my semester abroad, the prospect of going abroad and being alone may be daunting, but studying abroad is the best way to do it! You meet a group of people who are in the same boat as you and you trauma bond with them. The connections I made during my semester abroad are some that I still carry with me—friends who support each other and check in with each other almost daily. 

Initially, I was nervous when returning to Pace—what if some of my friends whom I didn’t go abroad with forgot about me? Would I be starting from scratch? To remedy this, I made sure to keep in touch with my friends while I was abroad! A simple check-in goes a long way; your friends will be excited to see you again and catch up on your abroad activities. I also decided that I wanted to become more involved on campus this semester and expand my circle. I joined new clubs, took on new leadership positions, and broadened my connections even further than before! This has made my transition back into Pace so much easier—I was already integrated into different groups. 

I’m not going to lie; I still feel separated from Pace in a way I didn’t expect. In a way, I feel like this shift is positive. It reflects the growth I’ve experienced during my semester abroad, when I was living alone in an entirely new, non-English-speaking environment. I spoke to Alessia Hessinger, an Honors junior studying Arts and Entertainment Management, about her transition back to Pace after studying at ABS (American Business School) of Paris. On the question of whether going abroad hindered her opportunity to make connections at Pace this semester, Alessia said, “Yes and no. Coming back to Pace after being abroad feels good.” She remarks that she has been able to connect with new people as well as reconnect with old friends, but she does feel the same disconnection from Pace as a whole as I mentioned. She comments that she feels “physically here and in [her] classes, but [she doesn’t] feel as integrated as [she] did” prior to going abroad. 

The transition back to life at Pace may be difficult after going abroad, but the experience you get is worth any amount of transitional discomfort. The transition to the semester abroad and the transition back varies person-to-person, but I know that going abroad changed me for the better. I’ve adopted a more spontaneous lifestyle, and while I still adhere to my Google Calendar (I can’t do anything without my Google Calendar), I am able to do things more spur of the moment. The other day, I went to a Meghan Trainor concert with some old and new friends from Pace and bought tickets thirty minutes before the performance started… which is not something the old me would’ve done. I learned to say YOLO, and since I had no pressing assignments, I did just that—lived. 

So, if you’re considering going abroad, I can’t suggest it enough! Transitions are hard no matter what, but sometimes the experiences you have make all those hardships worth it. You may find that going abroad not only does not hinder your opportunity to make connections at Pace, but it opens the doors for even bigger connections in other states and countries!