Zuzanna Czopik, BA Communication & Media spent a Semester Abroad at the University of Amsterdam

Why did you apply for Study Abroad?

I applied for Study Abroad because I really wanted to make sure I am making the most out of my University of Liverpool experience. I wanted to explore and live in a different culture for a while, get out of my comfort zone, and experience a different learning system. I also wanted to become more of a global citizen.

Tell us about your favourite memory of your time away or one thing you will never forget.

Aside from sharing one bike with my friend at night, meeting ambitious people from all around the world, and taking part in Introduction Week with a speedy tour around the most and the least iconic spots in Amsterdam, I would say the favourite memory of mine would be when I came back to Amsterdam in the summer following the mobility. I was staying with my flatmates once more, but this time we had no academic responsibilities and could just absorb the city in its fullness (and without rain or wind). There were still a lot of students left in Amsterdam and they were in similar situation as me, so it was so easy to randomly meet for a catch-up, walk around, sit on the grass, and be spontaneous! I will never forget the feeling I left with then.

What advice would you give to someone who isn’t sure about applying?

Make yourself excited about what your study abroad experience might look like! Do some research, check out the destinations, watch some YouTube videos about the culture and the fan stuff. Maybe you’ve got a sport or a creative activity that you like? Then go and search for places near the host university that would offer that and the facilities they have! Check out the modules you will be able to take as well. Study Abroad allows you to go a bit outside of your main degree.

Simply, make sure you have a nice and exciting idea about your possible destinations and if you find yourself looking forward to seeing it with your own easy already – that is the best hint from your brain and body that you should apply for going abroad, and this is all that matters for now.

How did studying abroad prepare you for your future career?

Studying in Liverpool is already studying abroad for me (I am from Poland), so about both of these experiences I can honestly and from the bottom of my heart say that they prepared me for the adult/career future like nothing else. They gave me the confidence for speaking my mind (in different languages) and for being assertive when it’s necessary. They taught me how to not take everything personally and to not be dependent on others (there is plenty – billions, really – of people in the world, not everybody needs to be your favourite person, but the right people with be the ones). Finally, learning a different perspective and mindset other countries and cultures have prepared me for the fact that we, too, can, and will, be the generation of change and that whatever I do really has a meaning – bigger than I would have ever expected. This is how studying abroad prepared me for a future career as a mature, sensible, and brave adult.

Do you think study abroad will make you stand out when applying for jobs?

I used to not realise the potential studying abroad experience had when applying for jobs. I let myself believe it is not a big deal or that others are doing the same. But the truth is that IT IS and THEY DON’T!

Thanks to UoL’s Returnee events and Study Abroad activities, I got to understand the importance of the mobility as well as all the skills I have gained thank to that! It made me so self-aware and self-confident that I stopped being so modest about it and I bring it up whenever I can. Now I know that it makes me stand out as not so many people decide to leave the country on their own and study and live in a different culture and environment. I believe studying abroad has also brought me tons of international connections and friends and that has many times turned out to be the perfect situation for networking.

Studying abroad has definitely made me more employable but also more confident that what I have already done has taught me skills for life and is worth being proud of.