Sierra Mayer, the Grizzlies Abroad marketing intern, writes:
Your friends influence your daily decisions. We all have had this happen to us in one way or another. For me, I was sitting in one of my two-hundred-person lecture hall classes with a good friend when we saw a presentation about the unique opportunity to earn three upper-division credits while traveling in Fiji. We joked at the time about going on the program just to be able to visit Fiji, but eventually our joke turned into a reality. Going on a trip, especially study abroad, with a friend has its ups and downs.
Friendships, both old and new, flourishing on study abroad
One positive about studying overseas with a friend is that it is comforting to know that you will know someone on the trip. This gives you the assurance you have someone from the beginning if something goes wrong, if you are scared of flying, if you’re shy and slow to make friends or if going somewhere new makes you nervous. Because, in the end, it always helps to have a familiar face around.
Another pro is that you’ll be sharing these amazing moments with a close friend and know that for years to come you’ll be able to reminisce together. Upon returning home, your other friends won’t know every detail and funny moment from your study abroad, so it’s enjoyable to have someone else to recount these memories with.
The cons of going with a friend really depend on the degree of your friendship and the length of the program. My friend and I have a strong bond, but equally know how to spend time apart. Also, the short nature of the Fiji program meant we weren’t together for a serious length of time. However, we saw other friendships on the program that struggled. Some best friends studying together on the program were so dependent on each other that they failed to fully interact with others and embrace the opportunities to meet new people. On a longer program, such as the 3.5-week Australia program, you could risk getting annoyed with your friend and potentially hurting your friendship long-term.
Ultimately, you need to think about your friendship and how it will function overseas. How long can you spend with this friend without needing some time apart? Are you independent enough to also branch out and make other friends? These are a few things to consider in the process.
From my experience, studying abroad with a friend was fun and we still made other friends on the program. Fellow intern Alex had a positive experience studying abroad with a friend as well. We came home with our new friends and our experience in our hearts. My friend and I talk about our study abroad all the time and agree it was the best adventure we have convinced each other to go on.
