Before I leave the country...

For students who travel abroad, the decision to study in another country comes with the knowledge that a large amount of preparation required.

"I've asked plenty of friends who studied abroad for both a year and a semester about leaving the country, so I seem to have a pretty good handle on what to expect," Junior Maura McCarthy said. She is planning to leave for New Zealand this spring semester.

McCarthy is looking forward to going abroad, but she has had to deal with the stress of packing, say goodbye to friends and family, and figure out the best way to stay in touch with those in the U.S. "Getting all the logistical stuff out of the way -- like passports, visas, applications -- was overwhelming, but now I have so much to be excited about," McCarthy said.

Before going abroad, students need to decide what to do about the campus extracurriculars they are leaving.

"People who are involved in several activities around the Tufts campus don't want to miss out on all that while they are away," Associate Dean of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne said. "The decision to go abroad gets difficult when someone has to make the choice of either missing out on an abroad experience or missing out on either a semester or a year away from their activities at Tufts."

Junior Laena Orkin, who will leave for Melbourne, Australia in a few weeks, is extremely involved at the Tufts Athletic Center. However, her commitment to her job was not enough to discourage her from traveling abroad.

"I knew that I only had an experience to gain, and when I come back I can return to my normal routine," Orkin said.

In additional to personal preparations, Tufts requires that students attend a mandatory general interest meeting that briefs students on the area they will be traveling to. Seniors who recently returned from programs abroad attend these meetings and discuss their experiences, which help to give students who will be studying abroad a more accurate account of what to look out for when traveling.

The Academic Resource Library in Dowling Hall provides additional resources for students. Included are evaluations of each abroad program, filled out by returning students.

"Students going abroad definitely take advantage of the evaluations," Bayne said. "It gives them a chance to get a more personal account of what they may or may not experience. They are able to keep in contact with students who know how to answer their questions more accurately."

Going abroad also raises concerns about dealing with potential language barriers. Many Tufts programs in foreign language-speaking countries require that students be proficient in that native language. Students generally take classes in the native language while abroad as well.

"I had taken two semesters of Italian before I left for Florence," said junior Ben Rubinstein, who recently returned from a semester in Italy. "When I arrived I also took classes. I felt like I had adequately prepared for the course load."

Despite the challenges studying abroad poses, Tufts students do not seem to have any hesitations about the academic challenges that await them. "The hallmark of Tufts University is that we have a student body that is beautifully prepared for a heavy workload," Bayne said. "The study abroad program also prides itself on the fact that our students demand the most challenging programs. They are not afraid of demanding requirements and assignments."

Academics aside, the appeal of studying abroad often lies in the fact that students want to explore new worlds -- seeing and doing things they might never have the opportunity to again.

Juniors like McCarthy and Orkin agree that the unknown aspect of studying abroad is its most exciting part. Consulting travel guidebooks such as Let's Go and Lonely Planet pique intrest, as well as provide opportunities for additional abroad adventures.

Those who have previously studied abroad say that the experience is what you make of it.

"Tufts does a good job preparing us for the technical stuff-credit transfer, advice on programs, general information on culture shock," Rubinstein said. "But that only takes you so far. You have to make the effort to acclimate yourself to the culture once you arrive. The only way I could have known that was to simply go and see what it was like."

Next Friday, the Daily will explore how students whose friends are all studying abroad cope with the resulting changes to their social circles.