Study Abroad Option

How a Study Abroad Program Can Help Shy High School Students
Overcome Their Shyness

 

The benefits of study abroad programs are many. Students have an opportunity to travel, to indulge in foreign cultures and to be on their own in an unfamiliar land. Many students find that being put in an uncomfortable situation that challenges them to look beyond their daily habits and explore the experiences provided by other cultures helps them to feel stronger and more self confident.

Check out this case study on one study abroad participant that reported dramatic social and internal changes based on her study abroad experience.

Situation: This is the case of Meghan, a 16 year-old high school student who was generally considered shy, awkward and studios by her peers and teachers. Her parents decided to send her to Brussels for a study abroad semester during the spring semester of her junior year in high school. The total cost of the semester abroad was approximately $13,000, twice as much as a semester of her private school tuition. Despite the expense, her parents felt that the benefits of studying abroad would outweigh the burden of cost. Here's what happened.

First Steps: Meghan was unsure about the study abroad experience. As a studios student, she worried about the toll the semester would take on her grades. Her courses were to be all in French, and Meghan was not very proficient in French. Meghan also worried about the social aspect of the trip. She was going through a program with high school students from around the world and didn't know anyone.

What Happened Next: Meghan filled out a personality form. The program paired her with a young family that lived on the outskirts of Brussels. Meghan received photos and began corresponding with the family via email and phone calls prior to her trip. After several phone calls, she was enthused about her study abroad experience and was looking forward to heading out.

And then: And then something wonderful happened. For two weeks, Meghan was not allowed any communication with her friends or family back home - even to announce that she had arrived safely. At first, Meghan felt the study abroad idea was a bad one and she felt the initial pangs of culture shock as she adjusted to the French-speaking family. She was very quiet at dinner, as she didn't speak enough French to communicate.

Meghan met the other students on the study abroad trip several days after her arrival. Some of them spoke broken English and a few were Americans, but most of the students on the study abroad trip were from Latin America and other parts of the world. Meghan prepared herself for another introverted semester.

Class began and she didn't speak enough French to be able to keep up with the teachers. She began to feel nervous and lonely. She was certain that study abroad was a bad idea.

The change: About one month into her study abroad trip, something changed. Meghan and the other students on the study abroad trip were taken for a weekend vacation to Paris. While there, the study abroad students began talking. The only common language to them all was French - and a little English.  As Meghan listened to conversations, she realized that she spoke more French than she thought. She listened to the experiences of the other students and learned that she was not the only one struggling. The students commiserated about their study abroad experiences together and bonded.

When Meghan returned back to Brussels, she not only had made friends to go out with, but she found that she was more confident when trying to communicate with the family. For the remainder of her time abroad, Meghan spent time out with friends, made her way through her studies and, most importantly, gained a new confidence in herself. Her study abroad experience helped her to overcome the awkward shyness that had haunted her, as she found that despite communication obstacles, she could get by and make friends that were accepting of her and her culture.

Sometimes, all it takes to grow up is a little discovery of other cultures and of your own ability to adapt and thrive. For Meghan, those realizations led to a new found love of international cultures and a self confidence that she took home with her from her study abroad experience.