Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of emails and questions regarding whether or not students who are planning on going on a study abroad next semester should go or defer to next semester. Everything is quite uncertain regarding when and if universities will reopen for in person classes next semester. Additionally, likely, there’s still going to be many restrictions on what you can and can’t do in the cities that you choose to study abroad in. I strongly believe that under these uncertain circumstances, the best option would be to defer your study abroad semester to Spring of 2021.
Quarantine in Denmark really has not been that bad, and as of May 18th, all restaurants and shops have reopened for the public to enjoy. Slowly Denmark is reopening up, and hopefully, life will be back to normal by their fall semester. However, with all the talk of a second wave hitting in the fall, there’s no say if stores may close up again in the future. During the first two months in Denmark, traveling really allowed me to build strong friendships and connections before the quarantine hit. This factor is one of the main things that has gotten me through the isolation in quarantine. The social events and orientation are some of the things that really helped me feel at home with my peers here during my study abroad. This is a luxury that I do not believe exchange students in the fall will benefit from.
Another main factor that students may not have the luxury of enjoying the next semester is travel to different countries in Europe. Going abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many. Europe is extremely far from Hawaii, so it would not be cheap or easy to fly back. Without the CoronaVirus situation, it’s extremely cheap to travel from country to country and explore all of the continents during your study abroad. Often if your classes are spaced out enough, you can go on weekend trips to a different country every week and make the most of your study abroad experience in Europe. I don’t believe that this is a luxury that you should risk losing by going on a study abroad in the fall when you could potentially go in the Spring and enjoy it a lot more.
In my opinion, I strongly believe that it’d be a much better option for students to defer and study abroad in the spring when school is more likely to reopen for physical classes. By doing this, you’ll really be able to get the full unrestricted study abroad experience.