For as long as I’ve been thinking about college, I’ve been thinking about studying abroad. It was always in the back of my mind; something I wanted to do and always looked for during college tours. 

I’ve been extremely privileged to grow up in a family that travels frequently, affording me the opportunity to visit many cities, states and countries starting from a young age. This really fueled my love for traveling and discovering new places, a big driving force behind my desire to study abroad.

Although Italy and Greece were the two countries I wanted to visit the most, and therefore was most interested in studying in, when I learned about Suffolk University’s Madrid Campus, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. 

I had never really considered studying abroad in Spain, but it just made sense. 

I didn’t have to worry about finding classes that Suffolk would recognize and accept for credit. I didn’t have to worry about making sure all of the credits I took abroad would transfer back, and risk wasting money. Also, studying abroad is already far outside my comfort zone, so the idea of going with friends and acquaintances from Suffolk gave me some peace of mind.

I was lucky enough to be able to go on the Global Gateway trip this past summer, and it totally sold me on going to Suffolk Madrid. Global Gateway is a program put on by Suffolk that allows a group of freshmen to travel to the Madrid Campus for a week and explore Spain. A group of about 30 of us were selected to go after filling out an application and completing an interview. I fell in love with Madrid and that, coupled with how easy it is to study there because it’s a Suffolk school, solidified my decision.

In October 2021, I submitted my application to study abroad at the Madrid Campus, and was accepted shortly after. After a few months of waiting, and anxiously hoping that COVID-19 and the Omicron variant wouldn’t close any borders, I said my goodbyes to the United States.

With this column, “Scenes from Suffolk Madrid”, I hope to bring you along on my journey abroad, including talking about life at Suffolk Madrid and detailing all of the trips I take while I’m in Europe (I have some exciting ones coming up!) 

Maybe you’re someone who is on the fence about studying abroad. Maybe you’re someone like me, who has always thought about it and knows it’s something they want to do. Whatever decision you end up making, perhaps this column might help lead you there.

I’m so excited to embark on this journey that I’ve been dreaming about for as long as I can remember, and I can’t wait to share it