Nicole Doyle is a Class of 2015 Row New York alumna who is now attending Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She studied abroad last spring and wants to share her experience with our college-bound student-athletes. She shares her newfound wisdom with those who want to study abroad and need a little help (or inspiration) to start planning their trip.
Where did you go? How did you choose where and when to go?
For the spring semester, I studied in Madrid, Spain. I chose the Madrid program for many reasons. First, it was important to me that I studied abroad in a Spanish-speaking country because I wanted to improve my language skills. Second, it was the most cost-friendly program that my college offered. The program included the cost of classes, housing, food, health insurance, unlimited MetroCards, monthly activities, and trips to Sevilla and Morocco. (I think I got a pretty good deal!) Third, being in Madrid gave me the accessibility to travel all over Europe, which was an amazing opportunity. It was easy and relatively affordable, and now, I’m a pro at airports.
Were you nervous? Did you get homesick?
If you asked my classmates who was the least nervous out of the group, they would immediately say, “Nicole.” This is because when anyone would ever ask me what I was most nervous about, my response would be, “I’m only nervous about where I am going to get my eyebrows done because I NEED to get them done!” (I promise I am not that high maintenance) But I will say that it did not hit me that I was going to Madrid until I was there so I did not have much of an opportunity to be nervous.
It was not until the last 2-3 weeks that I started to feel homesick. First, my family visited me for spring break so I think that it helped to see them. Second, I lived with an elderly woman and she made me feel like I was at home so again, I think that helped a lot. However, this last semester was my hardest semester yet in regards to classes so as the time came closer to finals week, I was ready to go home. I just wanted to be done with classes. I think that if my classes weren’t as difficult or if I only took 4 classes, then I would’ve enjoyed my last few weeks more and would’ve never felt homesick.
Where did you live? What were your classes like? Did you visit other countries while you were there?
As I mentioned before, I lived with an elderly woman. Her name is Estrella and I still talk to her almost every day. She lived in a neighborhood not too far from the center of Madrid. It was quiet and very safe. After a long day or a long weekend, I always loved going home to her.
As I mentioned before, this was my hardest semester yet in regards to classes. I took 5 classes: Historia de España (History of Spain), Literatura de Latinoamericana (Literature of Latin America), Literatura de Siglo de Oro (Literature of the Golden Age), Lengua (Language) and Cine (Film). The difficult part for me was adjusting to the Spanish structure of the classes. At my college, my classes are focused on participation, discussion, and presentations. But in Spain, my classes were focused on the midterm and the final. Also, the university that I attended was referred to as, “The Harvard of Spain.” Marist (my college) is referred to as “The Harvard on the Hudson” but I think that it’s more of the looks than the classes. Lastly, I am sure it did not help that I traveled almost every weekend but what can I say? Traveling is part of the study abroad experience!
As of traveling to other countries, I went everywhere!! I went to France twice (Disneyland Paris was my favorite place), Germany, Portugal (Lisbon was my favorite city), Morocco, Ireland and the UK. I also did some traveling within Spain such as, Sevilla, Barcelona, and Cuenca.
What was your favorite/most memorable part of the trip?
My favorite part of my study abroad experience was meeting my host mom, Estrella. Words cannot describe our relationship. She treated me as if I was her own and I couldn’t be more grateful for her. Although I missed home, it was so hard saying bye to her. I want to visit her again as soon as I can.
How did you finance your trip?
Financing my trip was all about planning! Last summer, I had an amazing paid internship and although I wasn’t sure whether or not I would be studying abroad in the spring, I still decided to save my money. Studying abroad was my choice so I did not want to have my parents paying for it and frankly, my parents couldn’t afford to support my adventures so this was all on me. When I arrived in Madrid, I remember having about $4,000 in my account and €300. €300 got me through the first month and every month after, I would take out another €300. I would use my euros towards small purchases like food, toiletries, etc. As of the $4,000, I thought that this would be enough and I could spend without being cautious. So I spent a fair amount of money in the 1st month (For example, I did not have to go to Paris twice in one month). Thankfully, I was awarded a $1,000 scholarship that I applied for over winter break. The scholarship really saved my wallet. But during spring break, my mom visited me and had to get emergency surgery, which obviously no one was expecting. We spent a lot of money getting around for her appointments, food, etc. So my advice would be to plan for everything (the expected and the unexpected) because you just never know and you want to give yourself room in the case that something happens.
Do you have any advice for Row New Yorkers who dream of studying abroad?
I never thought about studying abroad because I never thought I would be able to afford it but this is not true. All of your financial aid and scholarships carry over while you are abroad so you are not paying for it all out of pocket. If you are an RA at school like I am, you have to think about paying for housing so plan ahead, apply for scholarships and talk to your financial aid office. It is possible so if you want to study abroad, make it happen.
What’s next for you this summer and beyond?
This summer, I am a Summer Analyst at Goldman Sachs. If you decide to go abroad, do not get caught up in being out of the US too much and not think about your plans for when you get home. You can still apply for internships and do online interviews so that you set yourself up for the summer. For me, I accepted my offer back in August so thankfully, I did not have to think about this process while abroad but this was me planning ahead. I know a ton of GS interns who did their interviews while abroad or still at school so you can do it!
Anything else you wanna share?
Once a Row New Yorker, always a Row New Yorker. Keep this in mind as you are traveling the world and doing big things. Remember where you came from and remember to look back and lend a hand to a fellow Row New Yorker by telling your story and giving advice. Lastly, Row New York will always be there for you.
