Pack Abroad Ambassador: Mollie Mitchell

Hi everyone! My name is Mollie and I’m a third-year studying communication media and am graduating this spring! Ever since I was in high school, I had dreamed about studying abroad for a semester and was determined to make it happen once I got to college. However, my hopes for a semester abroad quickly changed as I came to NC State. 

I graduated high school in 2020 and all study abroad programs were halted due to COVID-19. So from the start, I was unsure if I would be able to even study abroad at all since travel was restricted all across the world. Luckily, the strictness of the restrictions lifted and studying abroad for a semester seemed attainable. For me, however, I got a job and an internship for the year and realized that I couldn’t just leave during the middle of the year to go abroad. With this realization, I resorted to my last option: studying abroad during the summer. While I wanted to be abroad for just more than six weeks, I knew this was the only way I could go abroad without ditching my other commitments. 

My six weeks in Prague were life changing as I did everything I possibly could. I traveled to four other countries, walked an average of six miles/day, ate traditional Czech food and met some of my best friends along the way. Even though I wasn’t there for as long as I had originally wanted, I made the most out of my time and would relive it again in a heartbeat if I could. 

Studying abroad is definitely my favorite memory out of college and I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about it. Take the leap and you won’t regret it!