Although study abroad programs are intended to study, there is really no reason why traveling shouldn’t be part of it. 

Before coming to Spain, I wondered how stressful and difficult it would be for me to excel in school while also having fun. On the one hand, I did not want to affect my academics by missing class, not finishing homework, or not studying enough. One of the things I head most from friends (and even professors) was that all I needed to do was to pass my classes and have fun. However, compared to other programs my grades here will actually transfer to my transcripts. So, slacking off has not been an option for me.

So how did I resolve this dilemma? Fortunately, the way my program works is that I only have classes 4 days a week so I have Wednesdays off. Secondly, since I did not intend to have a job here, I managed to have more free hours. The best thing of all, however, has been that courses for study abroad students have not been as rigorous or work-loaded as in the US. All of this has allowed me to be free most of the day to enjoy my experience.

No homework?! That’s great! 

Well not really. I wish I did not have any school work to do while here. The reality is that even though it has been less than in the US, we still have exams, papers, readings, and presentations. How did I manage all of this? Very simple, DO THINGS AHEAD OF TIME.

My best technique so far has been to use part of my free time (i.e. days off such as my Wednesdays) to finish papers and all my homework. By doing this, I was able to have weekends off to travel, hang out with friends, and explore around without worrying about hw.