Semester Abroad, Global Correspondents What’s next after Study Abroad?

SA: University College London, England

Deepika, one of the Semester Abroad Global Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Fall 2024 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.

My semester abroad has finished, and while I miss Penn and all my friends, I find myself
wanting more. I love a lifestyle of getting to travel to Poland on a whim over a random weekend,
or getting to go to the British Museum to explore and study after class. Earlier this summer, I
participated in Penn Global Research Institute in South Africa and Uganda, and I felt this same
way when leaving: how do I continue a way of living that involves novelty, exploration, and the
unknown? How do I not follow a set path for the rest of my life?
I loved studying abroad in many ways, but there are certainly things I missed about Penn. Especially after being a student elsewhere, I recognized that Penn has such a strong social network, and our centralized campus and energetic student life makes all the difference. At the same time, it was fun being truly integrated in a city like London. I didn’t really feel like a full-time student: I felt like a girl in a big city who also happened to be in university at the time.
After participating in two Penn Abroad experiences in 2024, I’ve recognized that going abroad, especially as a student, is the most invaluable experience I’ve had in my life. No class or internship has ever compared to this. Everyone says “abroad changed me!” in a corny way, but they’re completely right: I’ve gained life skills that will last forever.
I’ve learned how to live and travel on a budget, how to make friends with complete strangers from countries I’ve never met anyone from, how to truly enjoy my own company, how to be a good “London tour guide” when my family came to visit, and how to get around on a new public transport system. I’ve also learned how to navigate a new education system (I keep having to Google the UK grade to American grade conversions), and how to be unafraid to be “known” in class as the Random Girl From UPenn. I feel unafraid going into my post-grad life where I’ll likely be met with similar challenges of not having a ‘set’ social infrastructure, and having to figure out life as an unaffiliated adult.
I was really scared when I committed to study abroad. (I wanted to back out, but it was too late, because my subletter had already signed the lease) I didn’t know anyone else in London when applying, and I had no clue what to expect. All I knew is that I wanted my world to be wide: a place I could be a stranger in, and explore on my own terms.
Now that Study Abroad is over, I want to live a life where I travel as much as I can. Many of my core memories of my semester abroad were in the mornings, when I’d see the sunshine and feel a physical reaction for how beautiful a place was. I remember seeing the sun shine on Regent’s Park in London, or on bright yellow buildings in Seville, or behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or on the cobblestone streets of Poland. If you’re thinking of studying abroad, there is every single reason to do it.