I will be studying abroad at the University of Birmingham, England where there are around 35,000 students enrolled. The University of Birmingham has a very large population of college students, creating a sort of ‘college-town’ setting. With that said, there will be many continuous opportunities to meet new people of all different cultures. The book Maximizing Study Abroad talks about how different interactions with people will have an impact on you cultural experience, for example they talk specifically about dating, politics, history and values. The book emphasizes that dating someone from a different culture may be a truly unique experience and may form a built-in cultural informant which can possibly result in a long-lasting friendship. It may also be difficult to date someone from the host culture because the traveler may only be fond of the United States dating customs whereas the partner from the host culture is bringing their societies dating cultures and values into the picture. The different dating cultural customs can create embarrassing moments, laughter or chaos if social cues are not perceived as they should be. The book Maximizing Study Abroad challenges the reader to think about the social norms of dating in the United States and compare them to another society’s perceptions cultural dating. Aspect of dating may be considering the difference between what’s considered a ‘date’ and ‘just hanging out’. Also to think about who initiate a date and is it should be in a private setting or a more public setting. What I think the biggest difference between dating in different cultures is the amount of physical contact that is seen in public environments. In the United States, there is not as much physical contact in public settings whereas is may be normal for people to kiss on public in another country. The book also asks to consider the different ties in politics, values and history. Being an American, residents abroad may view me differently because our political views may be widely different from one another. Also, the media stereotypes might affect how I am viewed as a potential partner, as mentioned in the book. Being an American living in a different country, there will be stereotypes but only to an extent. England is an English speaking country, although they talk with a British accent and tend to use different slang terms that we do not use here in the United States. I will be going to a large college campus so even though I may be going to another country, college students still act as typical students being they want to enjoy themselves and are always open to meeting new people regardless of their cultural identity.

Studying at the University of Birmingham, England, I will be able to consider the following information discussing stress factors and learning styles & utilize this to prepare for the the successful possible study abroad experience. In preparation for an upcoming study abroad experience, it is recommended to thoroughly understand and be aware of what Paige (1993) considers to be the 10 most important cross-cultural stress factors of intercultural experiences. A variety of different types of stress factors are mentioned, describing the different challenges and opportunities for one to make abroad. If these stress factors are understood and considered while in different social situations, it can be beneficial to grasp these concept and learn from them to be able to make cultural adjustments. The first stress factor is Cultural Differences, this targets the amount of difference between the home cultural, and the different elements of the host culture. The greater the differences the more challenging the experience will be, a person has to evaluate the host cultures values and behaviors in different social situations. The second stress factor is Ethnocentrism, which measures the degree to which we view the host culture and how accepting the host cultural community is accepting of outsiders. This idea considers the fact of one measuring the reality of the host culture and relating it back their own, leading one to negatively evaluate the various aspects of other cultures. The third stress factor is Cultural Immersion, looking at the amount of contact one will have with the host culture persons. This factor stresses on the fact that if one were to be too immersed in another culture, the more stress may occur causing “culture fatigue”. Cultural Isolation is when a person doesn’t invest in the host culture enough, not experiencing the host culture to its entirety. Lastly, Language, is a major stress factor when traveling to another country. The language barrier in soe study abroad trips can bring about previously mentioned cultural isolation, overall making for a stressful experience. By understanding these possible cultural stress factors, a initial assessment and coping strategy can be thought of ahead of time, & allow one to strategically handle these challenges. Overall, these concepts are presented for a person to gain new intercultural skills and become more effective in the host setting. After completing the Learning Style Survey, I was able to identify different types of learning styles to my preference. Since I am considered an analytic learner, the book states that I can pull ideas apart and do well on logical analysis and contract tasks; being able to guess means and predict outcomes while noticing similarities quickly. Also suggested is that I am more particular in preference and tend to focus more on details and remember specific information about a topic well. I would agree with the results from this survey, because I consider myself a visual and hands-on learner. The characteristics mentioned in the results provided me with a good understanding of more specific information on how I use my physical senses to learn. I will use this information provided to help me completely understand and utilize my strong suits while at the University of Birmingham, England.