Tanner Hillegas

(he/him/his)

Tanner's Education Abroad Experience

"I chose this abroad program because it was something new I had not done before. Staying a whole semester and about 4 months away from the States felt like such a shock. The program was pretty affordable for what it was offering, and the fact that London spoke English meant I did not have a language barrier, which felt like a nice little comfort for such a big change.

Diving into a new culture for an extended period of time allowed me to try new foods I never had before or go to places I would not have gotten the chance to otherwise. I was able to travel to multiple countries throughout my stay in the United Kingdom, and on some excursions, I actually ran into multiple people affiliated with Penn State. In Italy, I met education abroad students staying in Italy who were from Penn State during a cooking class about making pasta. In the Netherlands, I was walking along the beautiful canals and saw a car with a Netherlands license plate that had a Penn State sticker on it. In Germany, I wore a Penn State shirt walking around a castle, where a family doing came up to me during a tour and started talking about Penn State because they were alumni. They are not kidding when they say Penn State has the largest alumni network.

Within London, I felt like an entirely different person. I had to take a train to and from mainland London every day basically. Classes were structured differently, and there were tons of involvement opportunities. I was able to meet people from other study abroad programs and even native Londoners themselves. My favorite part about being in London was the melting pot of culture surrounding the area. Everywhere you go, there is always something new to do. I even made friends with other Penn Staters who went on the program with me that I still am in contact with. It was a smashing time.

What surprised me most was how supportive everyone was. I had problems and concerns during my time abroad that were easily resolved by just going to the main office building of Arcadia in downtown London. The walk to this building was also pretty fun seeing the Londoners drive past (people-watching in London is incredibly entertaining).

I instantly came back from my study abroad experience feeling refreshed. I also had a chance to do another study abroad in Greece in 2022, so I had tons of experience. Now, I feel like I found my career goals in the sense of helping students out. I would prefer working with students looking to travel abroad or international students coming to the States since they are studying abroad here. I found a passion in this area that I probably would not have realized if it were not for my travels.

I would say that it is okay to feel overwhelmed and confused by the process if it is something you are not used to. I had no idea what I was doing when I first started applying for study abroad. However, you are never ever alone. Penn State has resources of not just faculty, but students, as well. Students are able to share their experiences themselves to make it feel a little less stressful for new students. If it's a financial concern, there are tons of scholarships to apply for, especially concerning education abroad. I thought I would not receive any money from them, but the organization did give me some money. So, you always have a chance to study abroad; it just depends on how you go about doing it!"