I Almost Dropped Out in My First Year Abroad — Here's What Changed My Mind

"Is it normal to consider quitting, and how do people push through?" I genuinely asked myself this more than once during my first year. I almost dropped out studying abroad, and I want to share exactly what that low point looked like and what genuinely changed my mind, since I know I'm not the only one who's felt this way.

The specific week everything genuinely felt like too much

The specific week everything genuinely felt like too much was around week nine of my first semester. I'd failed a midterm I thought I'd prepared well for, my visa paperwork had a genuine complication I didn't understand how to fix, and I hadn't had a real conversation with anyone outside a classroom in over a week. Struggling first year abroad had become my entire daily reality, and I remember sitting in my room genuinely convinced I'd made a mistake coming here at all.

Thinking about quitting university abroad felt like the only honest option

• Thinking about quitting university abroad felt genuinely logical at the time, since nothing about my situation seemed to be improving no matter what I tried
• I'd convinced myself that going home meant admitting failure, which somehow made staying feel worse than actually leaving
• I genuinely stopped telling my family how bad things were, since I didn't want them worrying or thinking I couldn't handle this
• I isolated myself further during this period, which in hindsight only deepened exactly the problem I was already struggling with
• Looking back, I wasn't actually failing at studying abroad, I was genuinely struggling with something I'd never been taught how to name or ask for help with

The conversation that genuinely started to shift things

The conversation that genuinely started to shift things happened almost by accident. A classmate noticed I'd been unusually quiet and asked directly if I was okay, and for some reason, that day, I actually told her the truth instead of the usual "I'm fine." She told me she'd felt almost exactly the same way during her own first few months, which genuinely surprised me, since she'd always seemed completely put together in class. That single honest conversation was the first real crack in the isolation I'd built around myself.

Overcoming struggles international student life throws at you specifically

Overcoming struggles international student life throws at you specifically starts, I learned, with admitting them out loud to someone. After that conversation, I finally went to my institution's counseling office, something I'd avoided for weeks out of a vague, genuinely unfounded embarrassment. I also finally addressed my visa paperwork issue by actually visiting the international office instead of trying to figure it out alone through confusing online forums late at night.

The specific practical steps that genuinely helped me stabilize

1. I scheduled a weekly, standing video call with my family, rather than only calling when things felt genuinely urgent or when I needed something specific
2. I joined one single club related to a hobby I genuinely enjoyed, giving me a reason to be around people outside my coursework
3. I met with an academic advisor to actually talk through my failed midterm, and discovered a genuinely manageable path to recover my grade
4. I started being honest with at least one person about how first year abroad difficulties were genuinely affecting me, rather than performing that everything was fine
5. I gave myself explicit permission to feel homesick without treating that feeling as proof I'd made the wrong decision

Why I genuinely didn't leave, in the end

Why I genuinely didn't leave, in the end, comes down to realizing my problem wasn't actually the decision to study abroad, it was that I'd been trying to handle every struggle completely alone. Once I started reaching out, using the actual resources my institution offered, and being honest with people around me, the same circumstances that had felt unbearable a few weeks earlier started to feel genuinely manageable. The situation hadn't fundamentally changed, but my approach to handling it genuinely had.

What I'd genuinely say to someone in that exact same low point right now

What I'd genuinely say to someone sitting exactly where I was is that thinking about quitting university abroad doesn't mean you've actually failed, or that you're not genuinely capable of this. It often means you're carrying something alone that was never meant to be carried alone. Reach out to one person, whether a classmate, a counselor, or your family, and tell them the truth about how you're actually doing, even if it feels genuinely uncomfortable to say out loud.

How things genuinely looked by the end of that same year

By the end of that same year, things looked genuinely different. I'd recovered my grades, built a small but real group of close friends, and finally felt like I actually belonged somewhere I'd once felt completely lost. I still think about that low point often, not with shame, but with genuine gratitude that I reached out before making a decision I might have regretted. Struggling first year abroad turned out to be a genuine phase, not a permanent verdict on whether I belonged there.

If you're genuinely in that place right now, reading this

If you're genuinely in that place right now, reading this because it sounds painfully familiar, please know that almost dropped out studying abroad describes a genuinely common, survivable chapter, not a permanent identity. Reach out to your institution's support resources, tell someone the truth about how you're actually doing, and give yourself real time before making an irreversible decision out of a temporary, genuinely difficult moment.

What I genuinely wish someone had told me before I even left home

What I genuinely wish someone had told me before I even left home is that first year abroad difficulties are considerably more common than the polished stories people tend to share afterward suggest. Most of what I saw online before departure was highlight reels, exciting arrivals, beautiful campuses, exciting new friendships, almost none of it prepared me for how genuinely hard the actual adjustment period could feel. Hearing even one honest account like this one beforehand might have helped me recognize my own struggle sooner, rather than assuming I was uniquely failing at something everyone else seemed to be managing easily.

How my relationship with struggle itself genuinely changed afterward

How my relationship with struggle itself genuinely changed afterward is honestly one of the most lasting effects of that entire difficult period. I used to treat any sign of struggling as evidence something was wrong with me personally, but going through this experience taught me that struggling first year abroad is actually a normal, survivable part of a genuinely significant life transition, not a referendum on my own worth or capability. I carry that lesson with me now well beyond just this one experience, into every new challenge I face, academic or otherwise.

Talking about this now, without the shame I originally felt around it

Talking about this now, without the shame I originally felt around it, is part of why I wanted to write this down honestly rather than glossing over the specific low point. Admitting that I almost dropped out studying abroad used to feel like a genuine confession of weakness, something to hide rather than share. Now I see it differently: that period taught me more about genuine resilience and honest self-advocacy than almost anything else in my entire degree, and hiding it would mean hiding one of the most genuinely formative parts of my whole experience abroad.

The genuine difference between struggling and actually failing

The genuine difference between struggling and actually failing is something I understand considerably more clearly now than I did during that difficult stretch. Struggling first year abroad felt, in the moment, indistinguishable from failing, like every setback confirmed I simply wasn't cut out for this. Looking back with real distance, I can see clearly that struggling was actually just part of the genuine process of adjusting to something significant, not evidence of any fundamental unsuitability. I wish I'd trusted that distinction sooner instead of nearly making an irreversible decision based on a temporary feeling.

The genuine relief of discovering I wasn't actually alone in this

The genuine relief of discovering I wasn't actually alone in nearly reaching this exact breaking point came slowly, through more honest conversations that followed that first one. Overcoming struggles international student life presents often starts with this single realization: the isolation itself, the belief that you're uniquely failing while everyone else effortlessly thrives, is frequently the most distorted, inaccurate part of the entire experience. Once that isolation cracked, everything else genuinely started feeling more manageable.

Why I decided to write this down honestly, years later

Why I decided to write this down honestly, years after it happened, comes down to remembering exactly how alone I felt reading only success stories during my own darkest week. If sharing that I almost dropped out studying abroad, and genuinely meant it at the time, helps even one student currently sitting where I once sat feel less alone tonight, then revisiting this difficult memory honestly here has been genuinely worth it.

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