Year: Senior

Email: michael.costello@uconn.edu

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Study Abroad Program National University of Singapore (Exchange) Spring 2017 

How can outbound study abroad students to help them make the most of their study abroad experiences?

Go into the situation with an attitude of openness and a readiness to learn as much as possible from everything new you experience. Immerse yourself in the culture and try to make as many local friends as exchange friends.

Were you nervous at all before studying abroad?

I was nervous about missing out on experience and friendships at home, but I kept in contact with everyone and kept up to date with the different organizations I was a part of.

What experiences did you have while studying abroad that you feel you could not have had if you had stayed at UConn?

I was able to experience a very unique country located in a region not too many Americans get to know personally. I had a chance to meet political leaders from ASEAN and the UN and hear them talk about the culture and politics of Southeast Asia from a different perspective than the one I was used to.

If you could give only one reason, why study abroad?

It is very unlikely you will ever have a chance to immerse yourself personally and academically in another country like this outside of college, so take the unique opportunity and I promise you will not regret one second of it.

How has studying abroad changed you?

It has helped me develop as a person, has helped me to meet many different unique and interesting people, and has opened my eyes to a possibility of incorporating a more global approach to my future career aspirations.