Madison Dunlap

When I first came to Cal, I knew that studying abroad was a crucial element of my college experience and an opportunity I certainly did not want to miss. I began looking into programs immediately and I applied to the first program I attended by the end of my first semester here at Cal. Because I studied abroad early on in my undergraduate years, I prioritized fulfilling breadth requirements and I participated in a political science program in Berlin. I was able to fulfill three of my seven L&S breadths while abroad and I had more time to focus on my MCB major upon returning to Cal. The second program I did abroad allowed me to add a second major; I studied in Barcelona through UCLA and completed two independent research projects that fulfilled two of my Spanish Linguistics major requirements.

While I was living in Berlin, I participated in a half marathon that was hosted by a local German family and I was able to put my German language skills to the test. I had a great time mingling with the locals and running with everyone, but my favorite part was the after-party. The hosts made homemade Kürbissuppe and Glühwein, or pumpkin soup and mulled wine, for all of the runners, which was a super unique experience!

The biggest challenge I faced while abroad was getting lost in the outskirts of Budapest. I got lost several times while exploring Berlin, but I spoke enough German to find my way back home most of the time. However, when my friend and I got lost in Budapest, neither of us knew enough Hungarian to find our way to our hotel. We wandered the deserted, sketchy outskirts of Budapest for several hours in the pouring rain, with all of our luggage for the week on us, and asked every stranger we encountered if they spoke German or English or could point us in the direction of the city center. For the most part, everyone we came across was very polite and tried their best to help lead us in the right direction and we eventually found our way to the right bus stop. Although it was a very stressful afternoon, I am really glad I had that experience because it taught me to remain calm and to download/screenshot city maps prior to leaving WiFi!

When I was living in Berlin, I had school Monday through Thursday from 9am to either 1pm or 4pm. I started my day with breakfast at my homestay (which usually consisted of fresh bread and homemade jam!) before commuting about an hour and a half to school by bus, train, and subway. I really enjoyed my commute because I ran into several of my classmates along the way and I was able to complete most of my homework while commuting. I typically ate lunch on campus before heading off to explore the city after class. On a typical weekday, I tried to hit a new museum, hike, tourist attraction, cafe, restaurant, etc. with my friends after class and I traveled to neighboring countries over several of my long weekends.

In Barcelona, all of my classes were with the same group of about 25 students and they were led by a professor from UCLA who was traveling with us. My classmates and I left the dorms around 10am and walked down the street together to our classroom at the university, where we spent about an hour going over the history and background information we would need for the rest of class that day. The latter three hours of class were spent out in the city; we did several walking tours, museum visits, and group projects. Again, I had class from Monday to Thursday and I typically spent my long weekends exploring a nearby town or country.

My classes in Berlin were mostly political science and Berlin history courses; I also took elementary German while I was there. Each class was about three hours long and nearly all of my homework consisted of reading assignments. I felt like the coursework was easier than my coursework here at Cal, but it is difficult to compare since my classes here are primarily STEM-related classes. I really enjoyed taking classes that were so different from my MCB classes!

In Barcelona, my classes emphasized the history, culture, and architecture of the city and my research projects were related to my interest in Spanish linguistics. I felt like the classes moved at a slightly faster pace than my classes at Cal, simply because the program was condensed into one month and worth 8 semester units, but the material was less difficult than that which I see in my classes here.

While I was living in Berlin, I stayed with the most wonderful homestay family and I am super thankful for the family I now have abroad! It was very comforting living with locals and I would not have wanted to spend my time in Germany any other way. My homestay mom often biked to a nearby bakery before I had school in the morning and would bring fresh bread home for breakfast and both of my homestay parents took me sailing one of the first weekends I was living with them. My German homestay family even came to visit me while I was studying abroad the second time in Spain!

Studying abroad helped me to realize that the world is full of opportunities and it is up to me to decide in which direction I want my life to go. By studying abroad, I was able to add a second major and take advantage of more opportunities here at Cal. I feel like my experiences abroad have helped me to figure out what I am truly interested in pursuing as a future career and I have a more solid idea of my life goals.

If you are able to study abroad and find a program that aligns well with your interests (or doesn't, but simply sounds interesting!), I would definitely recommend going abroad. Studying abroad has opened doors for me both academically and personally and I would not feel like I had the full college experience had I not studied abroad. I have had several mentors inform me that studying abroad is something that makes my CV more unique (especially as a pre-med student) and it supports my interest in being more globally aware, so it can certainly be a resume builder!