Honours and studying abroad: a match made in Heaven

By Svetozara Bozhilova

Hey there! My name is Sisi and I am about to tell you how I just spent the last stage of my Honours Bachelor’s studying in London, and why spending a semester abroad might be just for you.

I left Bulgaria three years ago, in the midst of a lockdown, to follow my passion for literature. After many academic bare minimums in my first year in Utrecht and the existential confusion that comes with the whole experience, I applied to the Honours Programme. It was a decision infused with the need to prove myself (it turned out I cared about this more than anyone else at home) and a desire for knowledge outside my own field. When I first joined, I didn’t think I’d enjoy research as much as I did, and although I’m still unsure what I want my professional life to look like, the Programme opened an unexpected door for me to explore.

The Honours is one way of making the most out of the university experience, and studying abroad is nothing less. It means you can spend half a year at a university you otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford, or go to a place on the other side of the globe you otherwise wouldn’t know how to find your way to.

I chose London because I’ve always dreamed of being a writer, and integrating in an English-speaking country seemed like the logical next step. You could say my study abroad was a kind of test drive for living and writing in England. Experiencing busy city life was only an addition but it turned out more fun than I could’ve expected (did you know that more people live in London than in the entirety of Bulgaria!).

Fast forward to today, I can only be happy with my time abroad and recommend it to others, and so here is my list of reasons why you should also consider doing a semester abroad:

1. You clearly enjoy being challenged

If you’ve joined the Honours community, you’re clearly ambitious. But perhaps you have a lot on your plate and are unsure if moving abroad would be more helpful than harmful.

I ended up having to write my thesis during my stay abroad, alongside four regular courses. I didn’t understand what I was getting myself into at the time. I only knew I wanted to go, and so I did. Balancing everything wasn’t easy, in fact some days it wasn’t even possible. I spent a few too many days in the library but I pushed myself beyond what I thought my limits were, and the gratification of that success was worth the anxiety tenfold.

Most students try to make the most of student life when they go on a semester abroad, and rightly so. My time management meant I had to prioritize differently and be satisfied with my choices. But there will always be something in the way to make you doubt your choices and capabilities. If you take no risks, you’re wasting the chance of making who knows how many wonderful memories. And just like that, despite all the long days I spent on campus, I managed to hear Margaret Atwood talk at the promotion of her new book (and I’m writing about The Handmaid’s Tale in my thesis, how cool is that!); I went to concerts and on city escapes, and saw some of the best plays of the West End.

2. You need a break from the Netherlands

If you’re one of the Dutch Honours students, the semester abroad is a chance to get a feel of studying as an international. At some point you’ll probably wake up and your first thoughts won’t be in Dutch anymore. You’ll be able to compare life at home to life elsewhere not only as a tourist, and if you go to a place as diverse as London, you’ll experience life beyond the familiarity of a single culture. Anywhere you go in the city there are all sorts of languages spoken around you, different cuisines and mentalities, and surrounding yourself with such diversity can enrich your view of yourself in the world.

To the internationals in Utrecht I offer a kind of love letter with this: you’ve already moved away once, you’ve faced being home rarely, only for the important holidays or even less. And as much as it has been exciting, it’s been scary, stressful and sometimes lonely too. But it has also taught you to care for yourself and be resilient in what you want. Moving away again can feel overwhelming at first, but that’s something you’ve already done, and it’s true that the first time is the scariest. So silence that tiny inner voice and just go for it.

Change was one of the reasons I was ecstatic to move to the Netherlands, and living in London was at times as surreal as if I’d walked into a movie. Even walking through the city and experiencing the mix of very old and very new was enough to fill some of my days. You might as well be standing in the ruins of a burned down church one minute and staring up at a skyscraper the next.

3. ‘Can I live here?’ is the theme of your trips

Living in a small town like Utrecht can make you forget how big the world is. When I first arrived in London, I had no idea what to do besides the tourist attractions, but the city is filled with temporary exhibitions, free museums and random entertainment, and has some incredible botanical gardens. And while London is a hub for the entire world to pass through, I have to honour that smaller destinations can offer you the opportunity to be entirely immersed in the culture of the place and go through some serious culture shock. So whether you’re meant for the big city or the quiet town, a semester abroad plucks you out of what you’re used to and sends you somewhere new and exciting. It’s a great way to experience a place for fun of it or to find out if you can see yourself living there one day.

I’d say, choose what type of environment you want: the busy city life or the calmness of the small town, a place where you cannot even read the alphabet or a climate you haven’t lived in before. And wherever you end up going, don’t romanticize the place before you’ve even seen it. That’s done enough in the movies. Instead of going with a bucket list of expectations, allow yourself to be surprised with whatever the place has to offer.

My tip? Anyone can stay local. Be different, go global.