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15 Things You MUST Do Before You Study Abroad

Abroad

1. Schedule all of your meals with friends you won’t see for the next four months at restaurants you won’t eat at for the next four months.

2. Schedule one (or two) appointments with your hairdresser in an attempt to create a style that will easily transition from late summer to fall to winter.

3. Plan for limited Wifi access (even though you’re probably not going to a third world country) by downloading 153 songs and uploading 386 pictures from summer to the ‘book.

4. Go to your dentist, optometrist, and dermatologist to ensure you won’t have any medical emergencies (other than alcohol poisoning) in a non-English-speaking country.

5. Indulge in extensive retail therapy at Target and buy things that you can’t even take with you overseas.

6. Insist on packing your own shampoo, conditioner, clarifying shampoo, and intensive keratin treatment because surely your new country doesn’t have adequate hair products.

7. Lie on your floor, stare at the ceiling, and listen to Boyz II Men Spotify for hours, because the mere thought of packing has exhausted you.

8. Get your car serviced and washed, so it can sit in your garage for the remainder of the year in prime condition.

9. Prepare your liver…especially if you’re under 21.

10. Make sure you’re up-to-date on every aspect of American pop culture so you’ll know what E! News is talking about at least for the next week.

11. Buy no fewer than seven magazines for the plane, when in reality you’ll sleep and/or browse the internet the entire time.

12. Establish a great base tan if you’re going someplace beachy. If not, spend your time buying scarves. Foreigners love scarves.

13. Make a last-minute trip back to school after seeing your friends’ Facebook reunion photos. Stay for under 24 hours, because you’re so busy (not) packing, but just had to say goodbye to everyone.

14. Be a bitch to all of your friends, because you subconsciously believe that it’ll be easier to say goodbye to them.

15. Realize that you really will miss everyone and schedule Skype dates before you’ve even left the country. After all, someone will need to listen to your hysterics on your first night.

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