Returning from a year abroad is an experience that is hardly talked about enough, so it can be difficult to know what to expect. It’s so full of mixed emotions, which can be difficult to navigate at times and also tricky to adjust to. From bidding farewell to cities that have come to feel like home, to reuniting with friends and family, this experience shapes you in ways that you may have never anticipated.
In this interview, Darcy, Sofia and Rachel share their own experiences of studying, working and volunteering abroad, and how they’ve navigated the return to university life. Through sharing the highs and lows; top tips for coping with challenges and difficult situations, this article is full of top advice for what to expect when returning from a year abroad.
If you are still deciding on whether it’s a good idea to go at all (warning: this article may convince you!) head over to our other article: Is it worth doing a year abroad?
Q1. What was your experience abroad? Where did you go, and for how long?
Darcy: I study a French and Spanish degree, so I spent 6 months in a French-speaking country and six months in a Spanish-speaking country. For the Spanish side, I debated for a long time about whether I wanted to go somewhere far away from home, like Argentina or Mexico but unfortunately I had a big accident in the months leading up to going away, so I decided it would be safer to stay close to home. For the French side of my degree, I went to Paris, which was an option I slightly regretted and wished that I had explored other French cities before going immediately for the capital. To be honest, you don’t even spend 6 months in each, by the time the uni term is counted (often shorter in Europe) it is around 4 months in each place.
Sofia: My experience was slightly different, as I volunteered abroad. I spent five weeks over summer teaching English to children in Austria and Italy and staying with local host families. I also completed a TEFL course to get a qualification which I heard about through my uni and received Turing Funding for the trip.
Rachel: I studied abroad in France! I attended L’Université de Rouen Normandie. I’m glad I had this experience as it really helped me to enrich my language skills. My study abroad experience also allowed me to meet so many interesting people and take classes that I would never have taken at Exeter University.
Q2. How do you cope with old friends graduating?
R: Your friends who did not do a year abroad will have most likely graduated by the time you return to your home university. This can feel really odd. Across first and second year, you create so many memories with these friends, and your friendship can feel somewhat synonymous with the city. Seeing your friends move on and you returning to where you all once were will make you feel some type of way (Alexa play Right Where You Left Me by Taylor Swift). Anticipate this feeling and know that it is not wrong to feel this way. It’s important to create new memories with your friends. Lean on your coursemates and friends who have also returned from the Year Abroad and don’t dwell on the past too much.
D: Agreed – I definitely found it hard to cope with the fact that my friends from first year had their university degrees done and dusted, whilst mine required the extra year. That being said; they do moan a lot about the world of work!
Q3. How are you managing final-year stress?
R: Returning from a year of studying abroad means one thing: entering your final year (cue dramatic music). I do think its reputation is worse than its reality. Let’s not jinx it, but I do believe that with my planner, careful timetabling and some level of discipline, I’ll be okay. Ask your friends who have just graduated what to expect, but try to discount the horror stories if you can. Everything is more dramatic when discussed with friends over coffee.
D: Final year is tough and I think there are way more expectations placed on you outside of university as well in terms of finding internships, grad schemes and even careers. That side of life can definitely get me down from time to time but I try to remain present and remember to take it one day at a time. As a final-year student, I have also grown to learn that making time for your hobbies, whatever they may be is so important for keeping happy and healthy.
Q4. How sad did you feel leaving your city after time abroad?
R: A teacher once said to me that it’s sad we come to love and feel the most comfortable in a city when it is time to leave. And I agree. My year abroad city felt most like home in the weeks leading up to my leaving. Leaving behind all of your friends and all the incredible experiences you had can feel hard. I didn’t expect to feel that way, particularly when I first embarked on my year abroad. But one chapter closing means another chapter is starting.
D: To be completely frank, leaving Paris was only a fraction as hard as leaving Madrid. I love Paris as a city to visit; but for me it was hard to live in. Having lived in London all my life, I found its urban scene pretty similar and it can become monotonous after a while, especially during the cold winter months that I was there. Madrid, on the other hand, will always have my heart and I often find myself nostalgic for those summer evenings spent sipping tinto de veranos, eating delicious tapas and going partying!
S: Between training in Assisi, the camps in Dornbirn and just outside Vienna alongside an end-of-programme trip to Venice with the other tutors, I was constantly seeing new places. I felt sorry leaving each place, as I’d made so many great memories at the camps and with my host families, but at the same time I was excited about visiting the next one! At the very end when I was leaving for England, I did feel sad that my adventure was over. But it was so amazing to have felt at home in so many different places.
Q5. What were you most excited about returning to your home university?
R: I loved coming back to a familiar academic system. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my uni experience abroad, but there is something so comforting about being back in a system that just makes sense. You know how everything works, you know which professors you like and dislike, and you know exactly what teachers are looking for in assessments. So much of studying abroad is guesswork. You will be grateful for things that you would never have thought you’d be grateful for. Look forward to it all!
D: Having studied at both French and Spanish universities during my year abroad, I constantly found myself in ‘flight or fight mode’ whenever someone spoke to me. No one tells you how hard it is to maintain focus in a language that is not your own and also keep it up when out and in social settings. It’s nice to be able to return to an academic setting and fully immerse yourself in it without constantly having to translate things and verify them in your head.
S: I looked forward to seeing all my uni friends again, and to returning to a familiar environment after having to adapt to so many new ones. It was nice coming back to academia and student life (and not having to wake up so early)!
Q6. How much did your home uni change in the time you were away?
R: Something I genuinely did not expect when returning from my year abroad was for the slight changes in my uni city. Nothing drastic, but just noticeable enough to confuse me. Shops changing location, clubs closing (RIP Unit 1) and interior updates in different stores made the glitch in the matrix feel oh so real. Expect your city to update slightly. Things don’t stay the same just because we have left. But this genuinely can throw you off. It’s not serious, but it is unexpected.
D: My home uni is in London and I truly think London is changing every second, so change wasn’t really something I noticed upon returning. What I did notice, though, was how old I had become. No longer am I the silly fresh that can hack a 9am following sports night!
Q7. What was the hardest thing to leave behind from your time abroad?
R: Leaving all my friends behind! I made some incredible friends during my time in Rouen. Going from seeing them every single day, to not seeing them in ages, is so so odd! I miss them all, but God bless WhatsApp.
S: I felt the same – leaving behind people I’d made so many great memories with was definitely sad. I was also sorry to leave behind Italian and Austrian cooking, which was amazing!
Q8. What part of your daily routine from your trip do you miss the most?
R: No one does bakeries quite like the French. Meeting up with my friends, going to the boulangerie and eating huge amounts of baked goods was a part of my routine. Supermarket bakeries in the UK just don’t hit the same!!
D: As I begin to root out my drab winter coats from the depths of my wardrobe, I am reminded of how much I miss strolling in the sun to Sol train station (there is a reason why it literally means Sun!) in the mornings before university in Madrid. I have to say that I also miss grabbing a €1.30 café con leche – basically free at that price…right?
S: I miss playing games in the evening with the children in my host families. Between Uno, Charades and complicated puzzles, they had it all! And those kids were not messing around – I don’t think I won a single game my whole time there!
Q9. What are the most surprising challenges you faced when coming back to your home university?
R: Personally, I found the jump in workload difficult. The amount of work I had to do during my year abroad is incomparable to my workload now. I didn’t have to study anywhere near as much whilst in France as I do in Exeter. I wasn’t fully prepared for this jump, but is anyone ever really prepared for final year?
D: Living back at home! Having lived independently for the last few years, including during my year abroad, coming home to a full house was both a comforting and challenging scenario. Thankfully, we all get on well but it does sometimes seem strange living at home whilst all of your friends are moving into nice new flats. My bank account will thank me though!
S: Probably adjusting to the second-year workload increase. It was a noticeable step up, especially after not being at home with my textbooks for so long over summer. I also had to get back into the habit of cooking and meal-prepping, since my host families had been really great cooks and I hadn’t so much as touched a pan the whole trip.
Q10. How do you stay connected with friends you met abroad?
D: I am a firm believer in Whatsapp which allows you to stay connected to your friends and be able to text them throughout the day regardless of time difference. I also like to organise Facetimes/calls where we can all sit and catch up. Even though sometimes it does require a little more effort and time, it is important to stay in contact with friends you’ve shared beautiful memories with.
S: I find Whatsapp, Instagram and BeReal are great ways to keep in touch with friends. Even if it’s just spamming people with reels or photos of my cat!
Q11. What advice would you give students who are just starting their abroad experience?
R: Enjoy it all! Your life might never look like this again. You’re most likely going to be there for a while, so make a list of everything you want to see, eat, visit etc and try to get through the checklist.
D: The world is your oyster – never again are you going to be in your early twenties; hot, smart and living abroad. So start saying yes to things, escape your comfort zone and don’t do too much studying!
S: My advice would be to just go for it! Even if you’re nervous at the start (which I definitely was) getting to go on a trip like that is such a unique and special experience. You never know if you’re going to have an opportunity like that again, and it’s a great way to get outside of your comfort zone, explore new places and meet amazing people!
Knowing what to expect when returning from a year of studying abroad can help you with settling in, or at least be prepared for what it might feel like. As you can see, each experience will be different, but it’s definitely a worthwhile part of uni life.
Questions and answers conducted collaboratively by Darcy, Rachel and Sofia.
Last Updated on November 28, 2024
Published on November 26, 2024
I am a final year student at University College London (UCL) studying BA French and Spanish. I have just returned from an amazing Year abroad in Paris and Madrid. However, there really is no place like home and I am excited to return home to London and explore more exciting opportunities!
