Developing Your Study Abroad Personal Project: 3 Steps for Student Success
Studying a semester abroad can be one of the most important experiences of your life, and you’ll want to have a piece for your professional portfolio that differentiates you from other study abroad students and young professionals. When you walk away from this experience, you’ll come away with a unique project that showcases your passions and skills.
Guest Post By Narda Antón - EdOdyssey’s Academic Advisor (Peru)
As a part of EdOdyssey’s semester study abroad, each student has the opportunity to create a meaningful personal project. Studying a semester abroad can be one of the most important experiences of your life, and you’ll want to have a piece for your professional portfolio that differentiates you from other study abroad students and young professionals.
When you walk away from this experience, you’ll come away with a unique project that showcases your passions and skills. With EdOdyssey, you have the opportunity to learn more about the local culture and improve your Spanish and show your academic knowledge.
I’m at the front of the classroom walking students through Personal Project process!
At Pontificia Católica del Perú (PUCP), you’ll gain local knowledge from your classes and experiences outside of the classroom. Most importantly, you will also be able to develop a personal project that you can bring home and share with your professional prospects in the future.
Your unique project will create engagement with the local community as you research a topic that interests you during your semester in Lima. Each student develops each project during a semester and I, as the academic coordinator, will guide them through the whole process.
Below are three main steps that I recommend to my exchange students to accomplish an excellent personal project:
STEP 1: Choosing Your Personal Project Topic
For you to choose the topic of your personal project, you should keep these three key questions in mind:
What topic would I like to explore during my student exchange abroad?
In the initial stages, you will have three topics that you like and you have worked on at your university. Then, you will identify which topic best fits the reality of the country where you will study and if it is possible to consider it for your personal project.
The topic you will choose will be developed during your semester abroad. You will have to write at least a 10 page essay and make a final presentation for your exchange peers at the end of the semester.
For this reason, it is important that you take into account how accessible and easy it will be to obtain information about the topic you are going to research. For example, some former exchange students chose an interesting topic that they developed in their classes at PUCP and even had the chance to talk to their professors and receive recommendations about their project.
How will my personal project contribute to my exchange experience?
One of our study abroad alums loves dogs and studied Sociology. Her personal project analyzed dogs in different neighborhoods in Lima!
During your exchange, you will have the opportunity to do different activities such as playing sports, taking dance classes, going on excursions to different parts of Peru and even doing volunteer work.
To develop a good personal project, I recommend that the topic you choose is linked to some extracurricular activity you decide to do, so this way you can match your project with your personal experience.
Here are some examples of past projects:
A former exchange student, Joe, who was part of the swimming team of his home university, decided to choose “Peruvian university swimming competitions” as a topic for his personal project. He even joined the PUCP swimming team in order to make his exchange experience better. He did some research on university swimming competitions in Peru and did some interviews and surveys to his teammates and coaches in order to write his project essay. In addition, for his final presentation, he showed photos and videos of his training and competitions he participated in during his exchange. His major was International Studies.
Erin, another former student, was interested in applying to medical school at her home university, chose 'Amazonian natural medicine' as the main topic for her personal project. She had the opportunity to participate in an excursion to the Peruvian jungle, which was organized by EdOdyssey and visited some treatment and rehabilitation centers. At the centers, she had some interviews with medical specialists and collected important information on the topic in order to write her essay and make her final presentation. Her major at her home university was Anthropology.
What impact will my Personal Project have on my career?
Identify how your personal project will add value to your career. For example, when you graduate or when you get a job in the future, how will your Personal Project help you? Are you potentially thinking about a Masters program?
Don’t forget about your big picture goals and ambitions, and how this project can help serve you to accomplish those goals!
STEP 2: Investigation & Research
Your personal project will have a significant impact on your exchange, so it is important that you dedicate time and effort in order to succeed. Please keep in mind that I’m here to help all students succeed, but please take note of the following tips so you can have the most fun possible with this project!
Be organized: When you start researching your topic, you need to get yourself organized. I recommend that you create a monthly schedule that includes the tasks you must do and the amount of time you will spend on those tasks.
This will help you to focus on the project and you won’t miss out on your other academic activities.
Step by step: The development of the personal project happens throughout the semester so it will take you a few months to complete it. It is important that you identify the parts of the project and set weekly assignments and goals.
Support: During the semester, you will have my advice and support in the development of your project. We will have weekly meetings that will allow you to present updates and advances with me soI can provide you with feedback to guide you and improve your project.
Stay calm: Doing your personal project is not an easy task, so it is okay if you feel a little overwhelmed during the process. Remember to stay calm, take a deep breath and reach out to me if you have questions. If you’re proactive during the semester, and keep an open line of communication with me, you’ll enjoy the process and create a better project!
STEP 3: Final Presentation
At the end of the semester, you should present your personal project with your exchange colleagues in order to share your experience and receive feedback. For the final presentation, I recommend that you and all students studying abroad with EdOdyssey complete following:
Style Points: Present your project in a creative and eye-catching way so your fellow students pay attention and get curious about your topic. You’re encouraged to include photos or videos from the beginning and final stages of your project.
Final Presentation Duration: Your presentation should last approximately 10 minutes. You will include the objective, development and conclusions of your project.
Demeanor: Feel comfortable and relaxed so you can give a confident image to your audience.
Your personal project will bring together your passions, academic skills and knowledge in order to have the best exchange experience abroad. Remember to focus on the three steps described: the choice of topic, the research and the final presentation, taking into account the time and effort that each one will take.
With proper organization, strong motivation and a good guidance, you will be able to develop an excellent project that will have a valuable contribution to your professional career!