HOW TO STICK WITH YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION TO STUDY ABROAD

It’s at about this time of year when most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions to better themselves. Psychology Today noted that many people fail to succeed because their resolution is not specific or realistic. The end of the winter holidays and the coming of the year is a great time to reinvent yourself or scratch another item off of your bucket list. If study abroad is on your bucket list before graduating college, here are some tips to keep you on track in 2016.

1) Set attainable goals

Many of you have more than likely heard that setting attainable goals is important. But what does it mean for a goal to be attainable? Use SMART as a guide:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Setting goals that follow SMART will put you on track to study abroad. Why is this technique better? Think about some of the goals that you or your friends have set in the past. One of the most common examples is the resolution to lose weight. You go to the gym in January and it is completely packed, but somehow in February, it is back to normal. Why? These people merely stated that they wanted to lose weight, but they didn’t specify any details that would get them to their goal. How much weight did they hope to lose and in what time frame? Was this goal attainable according to health standards? It is much easier to spend your time sleeping than going to the gym when you have no specific details attached to your resolution.

2) Save money

Tip 1) Save the same bill.

Choose any bill: $1, $5, $10. Your choice. Every time you receive that bill, save it. Save every bill of that kind. You’ll be surprised at how much money you have that you can then put toward studying abroad.

Tip 2) Stop spending money on small expenses such as coffee.

It can be tempting to spend money on drinks and eating out, especially when it’s convenient. If you do this a lot, the money you spend on temporary pleasure can add up. Think of how much you would have saved if you used all of that money toward your dream study abroad program. While $2 or $3 on a cup of coffee does not seem like that much, doing this three times a week for a year can cost more than $300.

Tip 3) Use cash whenever you can.

Statistics show that when you use cash, you are more likely to spend less money. When you use a card, it is easy to forget the value. When you have to physically hand over payment, it psychologically resides with you that you have lost something.

Tip 4) Earn more than you spend.

Everyone in college is busy. However, there are many fairly easy jobs you can get on campus, and many have a small amount of hours. There are also jobs that allow you to study while working. That’s like getting paid to study!

4) Tell a friend about your goal

If you’re serious about your resolution to study abroad, you should also tell a friend and others around you about your goal. They will keep you accountable, and you will feel compelled to not let them down. Both are positive; it means you will get to the desired outcome.

5) Look to the future

Sometimes it seems easier to give up than to work hard. If you think about how studying abroad will impact you in the future, you will be more determined to keep working. Studying abroad is an investment. Take a look at this article from Inside Higher Ed that outlines a study with the University of Georgia showing higher academic performance from students who studied abroad as compared to a control group of students who did not: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/13/abroad

In addition, according to the non-profit organization IES, 90% of students who studied abroad found a job in the first six months after graduation compared to 49% of students in the general population who found work in the first year after graduation. Check out the study here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9541667.htm

6) Find an item that motivates you to continue to prepare for your trip

Find something that inspires you. Whether it be a poster about determination, a picture of the destination you want to travel to, or an inspirational quote, make sure you have something close by that reminds you of why you began this resolution.

One idea is to make your own money box. Take a simple box to keep your funds in, and decorate it with pictures of the destination and quotes about travel. Every time you put money in, you’ll feel just that much closer to your goal.

7) Sign up for a program with TCoB

What’s a better way to study abroad than by signing up for a program with the Trulaske College of Business? All majors are welcome. We offer summer and winter intersession programs for credit. There are summer sessions to Bergamo, Italy; Alicante, Spain; China; and Prague, Czech Republic. During the winter, you can go to Europe; South America; and New Zealand/Australia.

Check out tcobstudyabroad.missouri.edu and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @TCoBStudyAbroad and on Twitter @TCoBAbroad.

Send us an email at tcobstudyabroad@gmail.com or come to Room 307 in Cornell Hall with any questions!