Study Abroad
Tips and Advice
Travel + Language
Packing for Study Abroad Semester
9:00 AM
This is the time of year that I learned about my acceptance to my Germany study abroad program. I remember the day vividly: I came home from school and was talking to my mom on the phone. Out of the blue, she said, "You're going to Germany," and I was so confused. She was confused, too, in a way. I think we both forgot about my whole application and interview process with YFU earlier in the year, so this news was a genuine surprise. It took me a moment of asking her a thousand questions before I checked my e-mail and saw "Congratulations!"
The time after that was a blur. I had to quickly inform my school and go through an entire process of filling forms out and sending them to their respective places. It was a busy and exciting time. Not too long after school was out, I was flying to Washington D.C. for the Pre-Departure Orientation. And not too long after that, July 31st arrived: I was on my way to Germany.
But pause...
...rewind...
I needed stuff for Germany. I was going to be gone for a freaking semester! I couldn't go without any preparation. So...what did I do to prepare, and what the heck did I pack?
Preparation
1. Look stuff up on Google like clockwork. When I say this, I mean scour Google, Pinterest, Tumblr, everything that you can for packing lists. These will seriously give you good ideas on what to pack. Without looking at these first, you are seriously going in with a blank slate, and you might regret it.
2. Know the typical weather for your location. Pack accordingly. However, give yourself some wiggle room. When I went to Germany, the weather was really hot in the summer, and the winter was mild (thank you, global warming).
3. Talk to old and future exchange students. Compare and contrast what others took/are bringing. This will give you an idea. Plus, exchange students will be the first to tell you how you do not want to overpack! Listen to them (no matter how much you may need that one extra shirt or two gym shoes or four shorts).
What to pack
1. Shorts (3): You want a blue jean pair, a loose, casual pair, and a workout pair. Honestly, if you are like me, you will mix-and-mingle; no pair was left unworn. I took a few more than this, and I did wear all of them throughout my entire semester (outside, around the house, as pajamas), but tailor this to how you are. I'm the shorts with sweater type of girl.
2. Sweaters/Cardigans (4): Bring a black cardigan, a white/grey pullover, a sweatshirt, and a hoodie. The black cardigan is perfect for throwing on over anything; black is the ultimate neutral. I promise you. The white or grey pullover is nice for casual wear. A sweatshirt and hoodie are self-explanatory. (If you have any questions, put them in the comments).
3. Jeans (3): Bring a light wash, dark or medium wash, a black pair of jeans. These are the easiest to match with anything, and you can get away with wearing the same pair a couple of times during the week. If you want, bring a colorful pair, but you probably will not get as much wear out of them.
4. Shoes (4): Bring a pair of sandals (neutral color), flats (neutral color), gym shoes, and boots (black or brown, depending on which tone you wear more). Do not bring more than this! Make sure that your flats can pair both casual and formal wear. If you want more shoes, purchase them while there, like I did (I bought two pairs of boots). Just note that I left a couple of pairs in return in Germany.
5. Undergarments and Pajamas: This is self-explanatory unless you like going in the buff.
6. Blouses (3)/T-shirts (4): This is so that you have enough to last an entire week without washing, if you must. These are pretty lightweight, so you have a bit more leeway in packing these. Plus, you can wear t-shirts as pajamas, so you hit two birds with one stone. And I chose more blouses because most people in Europe dress really well, and you want to integrate, don't you? (Mix and match like you please!)
7. Sweatpants (2): Because lounging and working out. Duh. (Note: you will most likely have a fitness class in school [boo!], but make it work, bro.)
8. Camera/Phone and Batteries/Charger: You want to document your time there. If you don't have a camera, just make sure you have enough storage on your phone.
9. Laptop and Charger: You will need to do work for your school and exchange program, most likely. Plus, you can totally blog your exchange away, like I did.
10. Scarves and Gloves: Bring what you feel like you will seriously wear. I recommend neutrals because they will go with more. Plus, scarves are a huge thing in Europe right now, specifically blanket scarves. (Funny story: I came back to the U.S. and everybody ask why I was wearing a blanket around my neck.)
As for winter stuff, don't worry about that until you get there. You can easily buy a coat or whatnot in a large city. Get this once as soon as it starts to get chiller, so that you won't wake up one day and freeze your butt off because you were not prepared. Or, you can just do like me and layer.
*Note: it's a bit hard to find coats for larger girls, like myself (size XL or 14 typically), so if this is the case, start looking in advance, try larger cities, or simply, if you must, have one shipped from home).
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