estargrl88

I will be leaving for a year abroad at a European university and want to just get any general advice on taking full advantage of the year.
What sort of tips do you have for adjusting to the culture, meeting other students with only a partial knowledge of the language, traveling around, etc.?
Also, since I have not left yet, any words of advice for packing and how to survive my first few days?
Thanks!

_Silence

The only thing I'd recommend you is just talk to people. Don't care about mistakes you might make while speaking and do not hold back because you cannot speak the language that well yet. If people don't understand you, they'll tell you.
Also, when you do not understand something, just ask.
As for the cultural adjustment thing, just take it easy, don't worry about it too much and be open for new things. I don't know, where exactly you are going, but chances are that you won't find it that different from the U.S.
Eastern Europe might be a bit harder to adjust to, though

That's what helped my while my high-school study time abroad.

cupcake

Just don't spend all your time with other US students. That's what most study abroad students do, and that's why they don't learn the local language. If you can, staying with a local host family will really help your language skills.

STrules7

I just came back from a study abroad in Madrid, Spain. I'm not sure where you are going, but the other entries have definitely hit key points.

1. Avoid other Americans
2. Do a home-stay if possible, or dorm with locals
3. Talk to locals, they aren't the scary "others" as we sometimes are conditioned to view them as
4. Go out, walk around, explore on your own. Put on headphones, listen to music in the local language, and walk.
5. Don't stress. Don't worry about your language abilities. Locals appreciate the effort more than how "accurate" you are.
6. The first two weeks might seem like hell, you may second guess your entire decision to go abroad. It gets better. The culture shock doesn't hit until month 3. The first month is usually very exciting, the second month you start to get a grasp of whats going on. The third month, the annoying elements of the culture will get to you (in Spain it was the fact that it is not a service-oriented country and everything goes verrryyy sllowwlly). The fourth month, you may be entering exams time with school. The fifth and sixth months tend to be the most amazing. Granted you may or may not get homesick, but after about half a year, you really begin to feel as though the new city is a second home. You learn shortcuts and slang. You know locals and the bars where locals hang out (while the other American students are still going to the "top 10 bars to visit" in their guidebooks).
7. Mingle. Mingle. Mingle.