Tag: uiowa

Study Abroad-Part 1

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Hi everyone!

I know I’ve been a little absent on these posts for a while, so I thought I’d write a blog describing why! I studied abroad during the Fall 2022 semester in Barcelona, Spain! It was a crazy few months and I want to tell you everything you need to know and what to expect when going abroad!

Program: CIEE Business and Culture

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Accommodation: Host Family

Classes: Advanced Spanish, Politics and Society (taught in Spanish), International Marketing, Catalonia and Spain Through the Arts (taught in Spanish), and Branding and Cultural Icons

Here are some prompting questions to better help me describe my experience:

Were there other students in your program from U-Iowa?

NO! This was actually very difficult to deal with for the first couple of weeks, as I was the only one who didn’t know anyone in the program prior to going abroad. Many students from Iowa choose to do this program, but unfortunately, no one else decided to the semester I was there. Everyone in my program was from Elon University…not joking…literally everyone in my program. It’s hard to describe how I felt those first couple weeks because you are experiencing so many new things all at once and it was extremely overwhelming to add on top of that not knowing anyone when everyone seems to know everyone else…not the most fun time. But, those Elon kids are some of my favorite people in the whole world. Not knowing anyone in my program forced me to be social and introduce myself to others. When I first got to Barcelona, it felt like a curse that I didn’t know anyone because I thought I’d feel alone for the whole semester, but, it actually was a blessing because I needed to learn to go out of my comfort zone and have developed so many lifelong friendships that I couldn’t be more excited about.

This is Gabby, one of my best friends from SA on one of our day trips to Montserrat!

 

Why did you choose your program and Barcelona?

U-Iowa offers so many study abroad programs that it was overwhelming to choose what program and where I wanted to go. Before beginning the search I knew (1) I wanted to go somewhere where I could speak Spanish, (2) I wanted to be in a big, but safe city, and (3) I needed to take classes for my business degree and Spanish minor. From this information, I then went to this link to do a program search. From the results, I looked at information about CIEE, IES, and USAC and determined that CIEE would be the best institution and from there decided on the Business and Culture program! Now, many of the other students in my program were taking classes at host institutions such as UB (University of Barcelona). I did have the option to do this, but my classes transferred over better if I was a CIEE-only student. So, be sure that this is something you check before going abroad!

Did you get time to travel?

YES! That is one of the best parts of being abroad! I never got any week-long breaks where I could travel, but I was someplace new almost every weekend. CIEE would offer day trips for us every weekend, but also greatly supported our own personal travels, and my host family was awesome and took me on some day trips themselves. My traveling may have been a little excessive the more that I think about it lol…but I wouldn’t change anything. Here’s a breakdown of my day trips, personal trips, and weekends when I did travel to give you an idea of how often you may want to travel when you go abroad!

Weekend 1: Sitges, Spain (CIEE)…2 days after I got to Barcelona

Weekend 2: Girona + Tossa de Mar + Tarragona, Spain (CIEE)

Weekend 3: Munich, Germany (personal)

Weekend 4: Day trip with my host family to different towns outside of Barcelona

Weekend 5: Vienna, Austria (personal)

One of the most beautiful and surreal places. Venice, Italy.

Weekend 6: Rome, Italy (personal)

Weekend 7: Montserrat, Spain (CIEE)

Weekend 8: Venice, Italy (personal)

Week 10: My boyfriend was studying abroad at the same time in Italy and came to Barcelona for his week off

Weekend 10: Madrid, Spain (personal)

Weekend 13: Paris, France (personal)

Weekend 14: Port de la Selva, Spain (weekend trip with a host family)

Weekend 16: Home!

As I said…may have been a bit excessive. Keep in mind that how often you travel is up to YOU. It depends on how long you are there, your budget, and the school policy on travel! I will say though that after week 10, it was so lovely to spend a couple weekends in Barcelona, and go to all the places I wanted to prior to heading back home!

For the sake of not making this blog post too long, I am going to stop here and give you a part 2 soon! Thanks for reading!

¡Adios!

Heather <3

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What You Need to Know About Student Visas

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Hi everyone,

I hope you all are enjoying your summer! In the fall, I will be studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, and I am having one heck of a time obtaining my student visa.

Since I am not a citizen of Spain, and my program is over 90 days, I need a student visa in order to legally stay in the country throughout the duration of my program. This is a very stressful and annoying process to have to go through, so I am here to provide some information and tips on how to get a visa if you will also be studying abroad. **Not all study abroad programs through Iowa require you to obtain a visa, but universities Iowa partners with in Spain do**

Here’s how the process of obtaining a Visa works:

  1. Gather all application materials and email them to the consulate
  2. Once emailed, you will get credentials for reserving an appointment
  3. Reserve an appointment
  4. At the appointment, you will give the worker your application materials and your passport
  5. U.S. consulate mails passport to consulate abroad
  6. The consulate abroad stamps your Visa in your passport
  7. Passport gets returned to you

Now…here are a few tips based off of my experience:

Tip #1: Look up the information yourself on how to apply 

My program gave me the information on how to apply for an independent visa later than anticipated which has made this process much worse than it had to be. When applying for a visa, you will be dealing with a couple consulates, one in the U.S and one in the country you will be traveling to. Each consulate has its own region where they accept student applications. Since I am from Illinois and attend school in Iowa, I was able to apply to the Chicago Spanish Consulate. Consulate websites have information on how to apply for a variety of visas, and will most likely give you better information than your school will.

Tip #2: Group or Independent Visa Appointments?

Consulates give students and schools the option to either apply for a visa with a group or independently. I wish I would have done the group visa appointment, but was unsure of any summer travel plans, and would not have been able to go on them without my passport. If I were you, I would do the group appointment because it relieves a lot of unnecessary stress. If you don’t have travel plans during the time you are applying, and you are offered a group appointment option…TAKE IT.

Tip #3: Apply as early as possible

If I had known that I could begin applying for my visa in May, I would not be worrying about this right now. You can begin applying for student visas three to four months before you are scheduled to have your time abroad. APPLY 3-4 MONTHS AHEAD.

Tip #4: Schedule your appointment as soon as you get the email!

It took about a day from when I emailed my application to get an email from the Spanish Consulate with my credentials to schedule an appointment. I immediately checked for an appointment but there were none…they get booked quick, people. After totally stalking this website, I realized that appointments open up at about midnight Spain time, and early in the morning Chicago time, so I was able to set my alarm and get an appointment for myself before it was too late.

Tip #5: Once you schedule an appointment, check frequently for earlier openings

The biggest issue I am facing right now is that I may not be able to be in Spain the day my program starts because of when I have my appointment. If you are a student who will be dealing with the consulate in Chicago and the consulate in Spain, here is a very important thing to know: it takes about two weeks for your passport to get returned to you AFTER your appointment (this may be true with other consulates as well but I am not sure). That is not something you will find on the website! So, you will get a link to schedule your appointment…check this link multiple times a day to see if any earlier openings pop up. People don’t cancel their visa appointments, but some do forget to confirm them, which is why earlier days/times will open up!

Just get on top of this as early as possible is all I am trying to say!!! It is difficult enough to obtain a visa, and everyone struggles with it, but try to make it easier on yourself :) If you ever have any questions about visas or need to rant to someone who has had the same experience feel free to contact me!!! All I will say is GOOD LUCK!

<3 Heather

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When I Knew U-Iowa Was Right For Me

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Thinking back to my senior year of high school, I would not have imagined that my life would be the way it is today. A LOT has happened since I first stepped onto Iowa’s campus. But…how did I choose to go here? When did I know this is where I wanted to be?

I think I toured between four and six colleges, all with different feels, all in different areas, all before I knew I was accepted. The day I found out I got into Iowa was the same day I got my wisdom teeth out…yep…got my acceptance letter by email and could not stop crying for hours (tears of joy of course). That same day, I turned down the other schools that I got accepted into. I’m sure some people panic when doing this because it is a HUGE decision to make; but, I had no doubt in my mind that Iowa was where I wanted to be.

I believe I came here twice before getting accepted, one time was to hang out with my cousin and see what he had to say about the school, and the other was the full campus tour. Let me tell you a couple things about my tours that I really loved which helped in my decision:

  • My first tour was a football Saturday
  • 20% discount at the Hawk Shop (this was just the icing on the cake)
  • It was a gloomy fall day but it was still enjoyable to walk around campus
  • The graduation Herky statue was out so I was able to get a cute picture
  • Iowa City life was awesome
  • My first tour was the first time I heard about the Wave
  • Everyone seemed so nice

Iowa was the second to last campus I visited, Indiana University-Bloomington being the last, and I will admit…there was some competition between the two schools. I really liked both of them, but what made me stray away from Indiana is what my brother’s friend told me, “if you are not going to join a sorority, go to Iowa. You won’t fit in at Indiana if you’re not in one, but at Iowa, there’s so much else you can do”. Joining a sorority was not something I was interested in, so understanding the differences in how Greek life is viewed at both schools was something that really solidified my decision.

But, it wasn’t what people said to me that really mattered, it was how I felt. I don’t remember anything my tour guides said, all the places we went, where we ate. All I remember is walking at the bottom of the hill by the Iowa Memorial Union looking at the Pentacrest and something inside me just said, “this is it. This is where I want to be”. It was a feeling of eudaimonia, a feeling when you are just so very happy. It is very difficult to describe, but it was one of those “when you know, you know” moments, and trust me, when you don’t know, keep looking. I think that feeling came from a variety of things. That view of the Pentacrest is still to this day, one of my favorite views on campus. I was in awe of the campus as a whole. It just felt like home. Looking back, I would say I thought I had that feeling touring each of the schools because I was so in the moment and excited for the next stage of life. But, I only got that feeling at one school, and it was Iowa. There were some non-negotiables I had when determining which school to attend; I wanted to stay in the Midwest, a great business school, the opportunity to study abroad, an easy drive, and close but not too close to home. Iowa provided all of these, whereas Indiana did not. There was a multitude of factors that made me choose Iowa, but as I’m writing this right now, the factor that really made me say “yes” to Iowa was that feeling.

 

Here are my tips for when you are trying to find the right school for you:

  • Figure out your non-negotiables before touring
  • Make sure the cost of your education works for you and your family
  • Think about your family and friends. Do you have a close-knit family where you will want to travel home often? Are any of your friends looking at the same schools you are?
  • Think about how you will get home and back to campus. Car? Plane? Train? Family comes to get you? Friends drive you home?
  • Consider if you want a city or country vibe, private or public university
  • Ask around! Talk to family & friends and hear their opinions of the schools you’re looking at
  • Look out for “the feeling”

Thank you for reading and happy choosing the right school for you!

<3 Heather

 

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Best Photo Locations on Campus!

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If you are like me, you love taking pictures; half the time you pull out your phone it’s to take a picture! Our campus is filled with so many amazing photo locations. There are so many great opportunities to snap the best picture whether it’s of you, your friends, or it’s just a pretty day and you want to snap a couple of photos! I’m going to share my favorite places on campus (and just one off-campus) where I love to take pictures!

#1: The Pentacrest

The Pentacrest is a lot bigger than you may think which means so many great photo opportunities! Here are some of my favorite pictures taken on the Pentacrest.

 

#2: Kinnick Stadium

Gameday photos may be my favorites from this year!

#3: Crepes De Luxe Cafe (in and outside)

#4: Wilson’s Orchard

Wilson’s is about 15 minutes outside of campus but the photos you get are amazing!

These four places are where I take most of my pictures, but I also want to show you a few random ones that I’ve taken just walking through campus!

Okay, I know I just threw a lot of pictures at you, but as you can tell, there are so many amazing photo opportunities on campus! Have fun!!

<3 Heather

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First Week Back at School!

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Hi everyone!

I hope you all enjoy my vlog on the first week back at school for my second semester of sophomore year! This gives a glimpse into the busy schedule of a college student :) Come with me as I go to class, work on homework & go through my first week of school! Enjoy :)

Thanks for watching!

<3 Heather

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Back To School Reset

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Hi everyone! Happy New Year and happy back to school season :)

Welcome to my first post of the year! I hope you all have had a great start to the new year…I can’t believe it is almost February!! The back-to-school season has automatic stress attached to it because you have soooo much to do to get ready for the new semester. This video takes you through everything I did to get back into the swing of things, including; shopping, organizing, cleaning, and more! It is a great way to see the process I go through to make the semester start off on the right track. Sit back, relax, take that homework break, and enjoy! Thanks for watching :)

<3 Heather

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How I Prepare For Finals!

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Hi everyone!

Finals week is just around the corner so I wanted to tell you the ways in which I prepare for my finals. After Thanksgiving Break the next few weeks are pretty hectic, there’s a lot to do, it’s easy to stress yourself out and get overwhelmed. The most important thing you can do is just try to relax, take some deep breaths, and just get everything done!

How I Prepare:

Work really hard to get the rest of your assignments done ASAP.

Though this can be super stressful, I have always found that it benefits me in the end. If I get all of my assignments done the week I get back from break, I have plenty of time to study for my final exams!

Stay healthy and hydrated.

Finding ways to exercise is extremely important prior to taking exams all week. My favorite is yoga! It relaxes my body and mind and doing it in the morning sets you up for the rest of your day :) Even if you’re just taking a short walk to Starbucks, it still allows you to clear your mind. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Drink lots of water throughout the day, and also make sure that you are eating healthy food. By doing all of these, you will be energized, productive, and ace your finals!

Find the right environment.

Odds are, you will be taking your finals in a classroom. But, when it comes to studying, find an environment where you can focus! I have come to find out that I don’t get much done when I am in my apartment because there are so many distractions. Almost every day I go out somewhere in downtown Iowa City to work on homework. Each environment is different for every person, but make sure you find the one where you can be the most productive getting everything done for the rest of your semester! The University of Iowa’s main library is one of the best in the state, so if you’re looking for a quiet place to go, definitely try it out! My go-to is Java House in downtown Iowa City.

Do something to relieve your stress.

Pre-finals and finals week are always the most stressful weeks of the year, so it is extremely important to make sure that you do whatever you can to make sure you have the least amount of stress possible. Some things that I like to do are decorating, drawing on my iPad, painting my nails, doing a full skincare/body care routine, hanging out with my friends, etc. All of these things let me take a break and refresh myself before getting back to my studies.

 

I hope all of you do phenomenal on your finals and have a great rest of the semester. Hopefully showing you what I do to prepare gives you some ideas of your own! Good luck everybody!!

<3 Heather

 

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Weekend In My Life!

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Hi everyone!

I wanted to show you what a weekend at UIowa looks like in my life! I know that if you aren’t a college student, the life of one can seem very busy and very intimidating. During the week, I am a very busy person, but I like to use my weekends as a way to relax and refresh so I hope you like seeing what this weekend’s schedule looks like!

Friday:

8:30-10:30am–class (Econ & Spanish)

11:00am-1:00pm–nap (I haven’t been feeling the best the last few days, I normally don’t nap unless I am sick)

1:00-2:30pm–wake up a little, clean room, talk to my roommates, put on a nicer outfit, have lunch (Ramen)

2:45-4:00pm–work on a Business project

4:15-6:15pm–make coffee, light my new candle!, call my parents, take notes on Econ chapterMy new fall candle and delicious coffee

6:30pm–make dinner (4 cheese ravioli with pesto

Four cheese ravioli with pesto and a side salad& salad)

6:45-7:30pm–eat while watching tv

7:40-7:45pm–shower

8:00-8:30pm–work on homework

11:00pm–went to bed

Saturday:

Morning crepes11:00am-12:30pm–got brunch with my boyfriend at Crepes De Luxe

2:00pm–baked Halloween cookies

3:00pm–watched Hells Kitchen for most of the afternoon lol

5:00pm–had a Chipotle bowl for dinner

10:30pm-12:30am–watched the Joker & went to bed

Sunday

9:00am–called my mom

10:30-11:30am: went to the doctor

12:00-2:00pm–had soup for lunch while watching TV

2:00-4:00pm–took a nap

4:15pm–made some coffee

6:20-6:50pm–worked on a Spanish assignment

7:30pm–showered

8:30pm–worked on more homework

9:00pm–busywork for my job

10:30pm–went to bed

Because I felt sick this weekend, I decided to take it easy! Normally, my weekends do look a little busier than this, but it was important that I took some time to relax. I have been very stressed the last couple of weeks, so this was my body telling me to take a chill pill! Just remember, the most important thing about having a busy schedule is finding the time to put yourself first :)

<3 Heather

 

 

 

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First Steps to Study Abroad

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Hi everyone,

I am currently in the beginning process of understanding how Study Abroad works! I am working towards figuring out how I will make it to Barcelona, Spain next fall! This whole process is a little more challenging than I anticipated, so I wanted to give you a couple guidelines to make it easier on you!

Click here to find the general Study Abroad Page

Step 1: Talk to your family

Studying abroad is highly recommended because of how great of an experience it is; however, that experience isn’t for everybody. Going abroad is fairly expensive, you need to pay for tuition, living expenses, food, etc. Many families can not afford to send their children abroad, so that is a very important conversation to have with your family before you continue the process. Also, most people tend to go abroad for a semester which is for 3-4 months. That is a long time to be away from home, and from everything you are used to. There is so much to think about that goes into this process, but if you find that it can work for you, I highly recommend going. I have only heard good things :)

If you are looking for financial help, Study Abroad has some great scholarships to offer! Click here to check them out!

Step 2: Consider all of your options

There are SO many places to go and so many programs to pursue. You need to find what one will be best and which will make the most sense for YOU! For example, I am majoring in Business and minoring in Spanish so it makes the most sense for me to do the Business and Culture program in Spain to fulfill a couple Business classes, while also developing the language.

Here is a page where you can search for places and programs to help you find what you are looking for: Study Abroad Program Search

Step 3: Speak with a Study Abroad advisor

Click here to find the contact information for our Study Abroad office! Before you call, have an idea of the program you want to do and what semester you hope to go abroad. Once you speak to the receptionist, they will be able to guide you towards the best advisor for your situation.

Step 4: After you talk to your Study Abroad advisor, speak to your Academic Advisor

Make an appointment with your Academic Advisor to discuss how a study abroad program would fit into your schedule. They will be able to help you determine what classes will transfer, and if going abroad is the smartest decision to make.

This is as far as I have gotten so far…the application for my program doesn’t open until January 1st, so I still have a lot of time to figure this out. But, I wanted to get a head start on this whole process because it is a little overwhelming. I will have another post on here once I finalize everything, giving you a checklist of things to do that will help you figure out everything you need to do before going abroad! I hope these few initial tips will help make this process a little less stressful to go through! Good luck :)

<3 Heather

 

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How to Survive Your Morning Classes!

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Ahhh. The dreaded 8:30am. I have been waiting to write this blog post to see what the first week of school was like–having to wake up for my early Macroeconomics class–to give all of you the best tips I can think of!

Some of you may be like me…I like having early classes. I am able to get them out of the way and work on homework by 10:30. Or…you may be like my roommate who has no class Monday and Friday and starts after 3pm the rest of the week. To each their own, you should do whatever will make you enjoy your college experience. For those of you who are like me, I want to give you five of my biggest tips for making it through your early morning classes.

Tip 1: Go to bed by 11pm.

I know this is a challenging thing for all of us college kids to do just because of life and homework, but I have found that it makes it a lot easier to wake up and get ready for your 8:30 if you got enough sleep the night before.

Tip 2: Have a routine.

Having a routine is important no matter what but especially if you have an early and busy day ahead of you. Here is what my classic routine looks like prior to my morning classes:

  • Pack my backpack and lay out my clothes the night before so I’m not stressing in the morning
  • Get to bed at a decent time
  • Wake up an hour before I need to leave and immediately make my bed
  • Get dressed, brush my teeth, do my makeup, etc.
  • Make coffee ten minutes before I need to leave

It doesn’t matter what your morning looks like, but doing things consistently every day will help you a lot. I also recommend waking up at least an hour before you need to walk to class because you will be energized and ready to learn by the time you start!

Tip 3: Positive Attitude.

You most likely chose your morning classes for a reason. Yes, I know, you get tired of having to wake up early while all of your friends are sleeping in. But, if you don’t have a positive attitude you will never get through them. What helps me is thinking about how accomplished I will be by noon every day!

Tip 4: Understand what your week looks like.

It is so important to be organized…in my opinion, it’s how you get through anything in life. Knowing what your week looks like with classes, homework, social life, clubs, etc. will help you get through all of your classes. Plan out your week in advance and write a to-do list for every day so then you know exactly what needs to be done.

Tip 5: Think wisely.

Going out and being with your friends is so much fun…but going to bed at 3am and waking up at 7am is not. That’s why it is so important to really understand how you want your week to be. You need to plan your social life accordingly. If you have an 8am on Wednesday, don’t be out with your girlfriends all night on Tuesday…it’ll just make those early morning classes unbearable.

Alright, everybody! I hope these tips have helped you! But, I really do want to stress that you need to do whatever works for you. Early classes may not be your thing, but they are mine, so hopefully, these tips gave you a little motivation to get through them! Also…don’t beat yourself up if you are struggling to get up early while also trying to be a good student and staying up half the night doing your homework. A lot of us haven’t been to an in-person class the last couple of years and it takes a little more effort than just rolling out of bed :) Just remember…you’re doing great!

Thank you all so much for reading!

<3 Heather

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