Leslie Kinnas, the Richmond Down Under marketing intern, writes:

Team Richmond 2013!

One of the most rewarding experiences I had while in Australia was building all of the new friendships.  My North Queensland study abroad group consisted of three universities, 32 students and four faculty members, all coming from different backgrounds and interests. I really enjoyed traveling with our cohort because we were all curious learners, yet simultaneously had lots of fun together. Not only did I make new friends from the University of Florida and Wake Forest University, I also created friendships with my fellow University of Richmond Spiders!

Upon acceptance into the Australia program, I was beyond ecstatic to spend almost four weeks of my summer Down Under. However, I was a little hesitant because I did not know any of the other Richmond students on the program, nor did I know our faculty leader. My initial reaction was, “What if I don’t get along with these girls? Or, what if they’re not nice?” (Side note, all our Richmond students were girls!) For our pre-departure meetings, one or two of us always had scheduling conflicts, so we never met as a whole, united group until being in Australia.

Let’s just say that my initial reaction was way off. After our first day in Australia, we had was already bonded so much that a dull moment never existed when we were together. None of us are in the same friend groups at school, so it was amazing to find how much we had in common.

Richmond & Wake Forest students and faculty

Once I returned from studying abroad, I was actually very glad that I hadn’t known anyone prior to the program.  I had the chance to branch out of my usual friendship circle and meet new people, which became one of the best parts of the program. My experience would not have been as beneficial or exciting if these students and Richmond faculty leader hadn’t also gone to Australia. I can now confidently say that I have made five new friends, and it makes me even happier to say that we are all still close, even though we’re back to our normal routines in Richmond.

Here’s my advice: if you’re thinking about studying on any AUIP program (or, really any study abroad program), don’t worry if your best friend isn’t studying on the same program. The most important thing to remember is that you will make new friends while abroad. It’s almost impossible to not make new friends since the group spends such immense time together exploring the fascinating program locations.  Believe me, you will want to cherish and share these moments with the people around you both while you’re studying abroad and when you come back!