Sydney, Australia
Macquarie University

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN CONTEMPLATING A SEMESTER OR YEAR ABROAD

· What do I hope and expect to gain from this experience?  Are my expectations realistic?

· Do I enjoy self-initiated learning, independent study, and lack of formal structure in my courses?

·Am I truly interested in learning about another culture?

· How will I cope being that far away from my family/friends/significant other for that long?

·How will I handle the loss of familiarity with the way things are done at home?

· What do I know about my host country – socially, politically, academically?

· How will I cope with different standards of living, environmental challenges, climate?

· Can I be tolerant of, and comfortable with, ambiguity? Or do I prefer a structured lifestyle?

·Does my interest in going abroad arise largely from a desire to get away from problems I'm facing here? If so, is this a good foundation from which to begin exploration of another culture?

· How will I handle culture shock and stress? 

· Will I be critical of habits, beliefs, customs of my host country members when they differ from or conflict with my own? Can I recognize the value of these different ways within the context of their culture?

· How will I respond to criticism of my own country? 

· Am I resilient and resourceful when things don't go the way I planned?  How do I react to unexpected problems?

back