By Ryan Edgar
I moved from Montana to Berlin, Germany after high school and studied Political Science at the Freie Universität Berlin and then graduated with a Master’s degree from Touro College Berlin.
While attending the Freie Universität Berlin, I also participated in an Erasmus semester where I attended ISCTE – IUL (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa).
Studying abroad had its challenges that I needed to overcome. I went from a D+ student, sick with mononucleosis causing me to fall asleep in class to graduating graduate school with a 3.8 GPA or 1,1 Note.
Growing from a D+ student to A student was stressful and required me to make a variety of shifts in my life to achieve this.
One of the first things I needed to change was the internalized ideal of “perfectionism.”
Secretly, deep down, I wanted to do better, but pretended not to care about my poor grades. My coping mechanism to my desire to do “perfect” was to not care or try all that too hard.
The second step was to take my personal well-being seriously.
I would sometimes fall asleep in class because I had mononucleosis and a terrible case of FOMO.
Anytime, a friend, acquaintance or someone told me about a party I wanted to attend it. I had to go.
This put stressors on my life. Lack of sleep, skipping meals, hurrying to get school work done, prolonging my recovery time from mono, ect.
I stopped wanting to attend every social gathering possible and instead focused on eating regular meals, exercise and a decent sleep schedule. All very unglamorous things.
This is when living abroad starts to become regular life in a foreign language.
Pursuing a degree abroad has the same pressures a degree at home would put on you. Exams, stress, desire to do well, social dynamics, uncertainty, and if the degree program is in German, you’ll have to navigate these challenges in German as well.
Thirdly, in high school, I got reasonable grades because I always did my homework and accepted that I didn't do well on tests. No matter if I studied or not, I seemed to always get a C+.
I never got graded once on homework while attending a German university. My strategy since high school stopped working.
I had to improve my ability to write term papers or Hausarbeiten.
The final step I needed to take to be mentally prepared to improve was resolve my underlying feelings of burn out, loneliness, and perceived exclusion.
Attending ISCTE – IUL (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa) ultimately resolved my burn out.
Being in a new environment, with great professors and attending classes in English strengthened my interest in wanting to do better.
In my experience, my burn out in Berlin wasn’t necessarily related to doing “too much”, but rather I had lost sight of my goal/purpose. I no longer felt my efforts were connected to anything meaningful behind just getting by.
The paid work I did was unrelated to anything I would like to pursue long term and I felt underpaid.
I had lost sight of why I even wanted to study political science to begin with.
I really enjoyed the classes and the professors at ISCTE. This reminded me why I had been interested in political science/history to begin with.
On Instagram, I’ve recently been watching reels made by Emily McDonald.
Listening to her talk about how your brain is wired to see what it’s been programmed to see, resonates with me.
By year five of living in Germany, I had grown frustrated with my life and became programmed to see the negatives. Studying abroad in Portugal for a semester gave me a reset.
When I returned to Berlin, I wanted to focus on trying to build positive associations with the city. I joined groups, I led a hiking group for a while and I tried to find activities unique to Berlin so I could create a unique relationship with the city.
Then came COVID-19 and its lockdowns and you know the story. That was a wild card.
It was during COVID-19 that I finished my bachelor’s and was accepted to Touro College Berlin.
I had applied to a variety of graduate programs and was rejected. The German university system favors GPA heavily and even though I improved over time, it wasn’t enough.
Touro College Berlin is an American university with a Berlin based satellite campus.
Admissions there involved a letter of motivation, letters of recommendations, an interview as well as the standards.
I was accepted and it was the best program for me anyways. Fate sometimes works out!
While attending I felt very motivated and inspired by the classes and professors. I always got good grades.
My life improved, despite the COVID-19 related restrictions. I found a job that matched my interests and made close relationships.
Regardless of these improvements, I didn’t see myself growing old in Berlin. I was ready to leave. Growth is uncomfortable and I had enough. I was ready to return to the USA.
Take-Aways
My goal is to share with you my experiences so you can grow and anticipate some of the challenges that will face you when you move abroad.
Living abroad requires a shift in mindset, emotional resilience, openness and long term goal setting.
Moving abroad is an opportunity to reinvent yourself.
In high school, I was shy. In Berlin, I had to put myself out there in order to make friends. Suddenly, I wasn’t shy anymore. Partly, because no one expected me to be shy to begin with.
This is why I don’t want to provide you with a play-by-play blueprint. There is no magic game plan to becoming successful abroad.
Instead, you need to focus on growing, changing your mindset to accept growth and change, strengthening healthy coping mechanisms (don’t party all the time) and developing a high degree of openness to novelty.
Europe isn’t America, so you can’t expect it to be so.
If you’re planning on moving abroad for longer than a year, you’ll need to adapt and you’ll eventually want to thrive.
Prospering integrating will require openness and mindset shifts.
That’s why there is not really a one-size-fits all approach to moving abroad. Every person in every context is different. Instead, I want to focus on sharing insights on mindset shifts to better face and solve the challenges of living abroad.
The first step to moving abroad is finding a so-called migration pathway. Think au-pair, NALCAP, language school, working holiday visa, ect. There are many ways to get a residency permit for another country.
This is where long-term goal setting is a crucial component.
I visited friends in Germany, then ended up staying for over 10 years. I didn’t have a plan, I made vibe-based decisions that ultimately worked out fine, but honestly that was too much time for me in Germany.
I want you to make decisions that reflect your goals and dreams.
Pursuing a Bachelor’s degree start (language school) to finish (graduation) in Germany will likely at least be a 5-6 year process. This is fine if you want to do this. If you’re seeking novelty and flexibility, it might be too long of a commitment.
Once you’ve adjusted to life abroad, it often becomes regular life in a foreign language.
I want to provide you with first-hand experience of life abroad so you can make decisions that match your goals and values.
Knowledge is the key to success. I want you to be successful and make it abroad.
Conclusion
Studying abroad in Germany showed me that academic success and personal growth come from mindset shifts, and resilience. I started studying in Berlin as a D+ student and eventually graduated with a Master’s with a 3.8 GPA by changing my habits, prioritizing my health, and adapting to the expectations of the German university system.
My semester at ISCTE in Lisbon helped me overcome burnout, reconnect with my academic interests, and rebuild a positive mindset toward life abroad.
Here are the key lessons I learned that can help you succeed when studying or moving abroad:
Living abroad requires adaptability, emotional resilience, and a willingness to reinvent yourself. If you stay open to growth and set clear long-term goals, and make it abroad.
Feel free to contact me through my website if you have any questions for me about living and studying abroad.