Hi all,
Another week is in the books for this fall 2023 semester! I still cannot believe I am a junior this year. It feels like just yesterday my parents were moving me into campus in a post-COVID era. I am very happy that those who have moved in this year and in the years to come will get to partake in the full Wellesley experience of moving into campus. In a lot of ways, this semester has made me feel like a first-year student again. When I decided to study abroad back in May, it seemed like just a way to add more photos to my camera roll and purchase as many souvenirs as possible. I could not have been more wrong!
While I have certainly maxed out my phone storage with so many new photos (and the same could be said for my credit card with buying gifts and memorabilia 😅) the opportunity to study abroad is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am so grateful Wellesley provides. When I began to tell my friends from home that I would be studying abroad, many were shocked that Wellesley offered so many opportunities to go abroad! I hadn’t realized so many universities don’t offer study abroad programs or have only a limited amount of approved options to study abroad. While this was not one of my must-haves when looking at colleges to attend, I have since let my younger siblings know how amazing it is to have the opportunity available to them!
Walking down the road in Galway, Ireland!
Spotted some hydrangeas!
I thought for this post I might discuss some of the factors that prompted me to study abroad and what I have learned thus far now that I am three weeks in! When I began to look at what Wellesley’s Office of International Study (OIS for short) had to offer, I was very much in a ‘look with your eyes, don’t touch’ mindset as if I were shopping for an abroad program. I was not 100% sold on the idea of being so far away from home and everything familiar to me. OIS offers many ‘study abroad fairs’ throughout the year where numerous representatives from various study abroad programs come to Wellesley and present on their program. I remember walking through the crowded tables full of brightly colored posters and enthusiastic speakers at each table and feeling so overwhelmed. I luckily made it through to each table, picking up brochures here and there but still uncertain about the whole thing. It wasn’t until afterwards in my dorm when I began my own research that I started to be able to picture myself abroad. I actually read a few blogs of other student’s experiences and attended panels where past study abroad students spoke on their experiences and what drew them to their specific program.
I stumbled across musicians in town!
For me, I was drawn to Trinity College Dublin (TCD for short) for a few reasons. First and foremost, my grandparents had visited long before I was born and had always talked so highly of their experience. They could not get enough of the kind hearted people, gorgeous scenery, and the way it felt like home if only for a week. I think everyone deep down has a personal connection to the country they visit, and for me, my family and knowing where my ancestors came from were an important part of my decision. Academically, TCD is of a similar rigor as Wellesley and had my major: psychology. I wanted the opportunity to explore and enjoy being a student in another country without falling behind in my studies at home. There are numerous factors that influenced my decision to come to Ireland but at the root of it all I knew it was still going to be uncomfortable at first, kind of like being a first-year again. Now almost a MONTH in, I am reminded how quickly a new place can begin to feel like home. 🙂
Until next week,
Anna Tutek
The River Liffey!