Managing Academics in the European Union Program

This past Monday, I finally finished my mid-term exams. This mid-term period caused me stress not in the sense that it was challenging but rather because I had limited time to prepare for them due to frequent traveling. The European Union program is centered around travelling throughout Europe, allowing students to learn outside of the classroom. Since I made my voyage from New York City to Freiburg in January, I have already visited various countries such as France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Poland. Additionally, we visited cities such as Berlin and Strasbourg. Depending on whom you ask, Strasbourg is either a part of France or Germany. A French would say it is a part of France while a German would say it is a part of Germany. This “debate” on which state Strasbourg belongs to stems from the fact that it is situated at the border between France and Germany. Nonetheless, we will be travelling to Italy, Spain, and Portugal later this month to learn more about their respective roles in the European Union and how they have been dealing with or dealt with issues in the European Union including but not limited to: migration, the euro crisis, and the rise of nationalistic parties.

Considering we have traveled to a lot of destinations over the course of two months, one can predict that it is difficult to balance academics and travel simultaneously. Indeed, it is a struggle to find a balance; however, it is not impossible to do so. I found a balance between my studies and travels through tracking the dates of my exams on my phone calendar and studying on weekends prior to my travel dates. To accomplish the latter, I had to say no to my friends on some weekends when they decided to go to a bar or a club. Taking the initiative to refuse on going out with friends did not cause me to develop a fear of missing out because as an introvert, I prefer being in my room reading a book or watching Netflix. Initially, my methods to manage my academics paid off, because I passed my midterms! If you are thinking about participating in this program in the future, please be sure to develop an effective method to staying on track with your academics because time will go by quickly with all the travelling you will be partaking in while here. Exploring and having fun abroad is great but please do not lose focus on the academic piece of it. If you are an International Affairs major like myself, it is imperative to stay focused academically, especially when you have a thesis to write as a senior next year.