Study Abroad Characteristics

The major characteristic I would like to hone in on during my study abroad program would be my self-confidence and ability to self-advocate. It has been increasingly noticeable that my level of confidence when I am surrounded by new people is lower than I would like it to be. I always second guess myself and try my hardest not to make any confrontation with others. By putting myself in a whole new world I will be exposed to all new people which will allow me to realize that my confidence is solely based on who I am and not what anybody else says. Since nobody will know who I am in a different country, I will also have to practice my self-advocating skills in order to first survive in the new environment and then thrive in it. Another aspect I would like to return with is a firm understanding of Italy and its …show more content…
Going from a senior in high school being on top of the social chain, involved in multiple organizations, being an athlete, and being a leader to being a lowly college freshman shook my world up. The noise from outer accomplishment and praised distracted me from focusing on who I am. Getting into college took all that noise away and left me alone with myself, allowing me to become more in touch with myself. The process of learning who I was all throughout the first semester of college has increased my level of emotional intelligence and ability to control my emotions. I have learned how to more accurately determine what emotion I am feeling and for what reason, along with recognizing others emotions. By being able to do this, I am more properly able to handle the emotions I feel and more decisively communicate with others by controlling my response based on their emotions. Being more emotionally intelligent helps me in any social situation, but will undoubtedly come in handy in a different