Study abroad: Maymester in Croatia | Uga

The University of Georgia offers a huge variety of StudyAway programs. Students have the opportunity to participate in exchange programs, domestic field studies, international internships, and more. You can choose one within your major or minor, or look outside of your regular field. Many study abroad experiences offer needs-based scholarships as well. 

During the summer going into my junior year, I was scared out of my mind to travel outside of the country for the first time. I knew no one in my Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication Maymester program. Croatia was somewhere I had vaguely heard of, but I had no idea what to expect. This trip ended up being one of the most influential experiences I had in college. I left Croatia with a new level of confidence and self-worth, as well as friendships that have lasted almost two years to date. I asked two of these friends, Paige Clarke and Ella Kroll, to share their experience of our summer abroad together.

Paige Clarke

Fourth year journalism major

Going abroad changed my life. It’s the most cliché thing said by nearly everyone who has gone abroad, however, I have no shame in adding to the stereotype. I am beyond grateful to have experienced the first Grady Croatia Maymester, and the people I got to experience it with made it even better. 

I was nervous to go at first. I knew two other girls, but was about to fly across the globe to spend three weeks with strangers in a country I knew so little about. I was scared I wouldn’t make friends or would close myself off.  

Then, I met some of my favorite people from all of college. Our small but mighty group of women was everything and more than I could have asked for. We celebrated birthdays, experimented with new foods, participated in radio broadcasts in Croatia, encouraged each other to venture beyond our comfort zones, and shared abundant laughter. I came home from the trip not only with pictures and souvenirs but also with my new best friends. Two years after the program, I still cherish the relationships I created on that trip and would do it again if I could. 

My most significant advice would be to say yes to everything and go in with no expectations. You never know who you will meet or what these experiences will mean to you years later, even if it’s just a short Maymester program. This is the ideal moment to explore new avenues and venture beyond your comfort zone. Everyone else in your program is in the same position and probably has some of the same worries as you. So, say yes to coffee with the girl you met in the airport, go to the random museum next to your hotel with your new roommate, and even go cliff diving when you’re afraid of heights. These memories will last a lifetime, and I am so excited for you to live your StudyAway dreams!

Ella Kroll

Fourth year journalism major

I can echo everyone else’s words and say I was far more nervous than excited to embark on my study away program — while most people knew at least one person, I knew not a single soul going on the trip, and was a lot shyer at that point in my life than I am now. 

If you’re an overthinker and/or an introvert like me, you will have to put in a little extra effort in this already new and different setting to connect with people and make the most of your experience, but it’s so worth it.

I pushed myself to ask Mary Ryan and another student, Katie, if I could hang out the first night, and the rest is history. I then met Paige and some other students, and we became a tight-knit friend group. Most importantly, we bonded with our entire study abroad program of only women, which was so fun and unique.

My key point of advice would be to never judge who you think people are based on observations from the first day or two, or even three weeks on your program. I definitely was not in my truest form in that first week of our trip, and I am so thankful that the friends I made continued to get to know me and have remained my close friends until now, almost at graduation, two years later. I am also so lucky that the bonds we made over in Croatia have stretched and lasted back to Athens, and I know they will continue to last even after college. 

Get to know people, eat all the new foods, try the things you think you’ll look stupid doing, and say yes to every opportunity — you truly never know what is waiting for you behind the door that you have yet to walk through.

This article was originally published in The Red & Black 2025 UGA 101 Guide.