Yes, Nursing Students Can Study Away—Here’s How I Did It and How You Can Too!

• Start early: Begin thinking about studying away in the spring of your first year, since the application for sophomore spring opens in September and decisions come out a month later. Academic advisors will help adjust your schedule and will strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.

• Know your options: If you’re a Nursing and Global Public Health major, your study away locations are limited to Accra, Buenos Aires, London, Sydney, or Tel Aviv. Most students receive their first-choice site, and if you feel strongly about one, you can submit a short supplemental essay explaining your interest.

• Ask around: Don’t hesitate to reach out to upperclassmen who’ve studied away—ask them for tips, stories, and even pictures. Like everyone who’s done it, they’ll tell you it was one of the most unforgettable parts of their time at NYU.

One of the biggest changes you’ll notice when studying away as a nursing student is the shift in your course load. Since you won’t be taking core nursing classes or clinicals that semester, most of your schedule will be filled with liberal arts electives offered at your study away site. These classes are a great chance to explore topics you wouldn’t normally have time for in your nursing curriculum—and trust me, they’re just as engaging. You’ll also be required to take one foreign language class, which helps you connect more deeply with the culture around you.

And if you’re in the LEAD Honors Program, you’ll need to enroll in “Global Perspectives on Health,” an online asynchronous course that explores healthcare systems and health disparities across countries. If you are not in the program, you still have the option to enroll in the class!

At NYU Shanghai, I took a mix of classes that really reflected the culture I was living in. My “Contemporary East Asian Media” course explored everything from the history of Korean pop music to the rise of e-sports, mukbangs, and Asian dramas. I also took another class called “Family and Society,” which looked at the complex dynamics of relationships and family structures across different cultures. These classes were definitely refreshing and completely different from what I was used to as a nursing student. And of course, I took a Mandarin class to fulfill my foreign language requirement.

One of the best parts about studying away is that so much of the experience happens outside of class. Many NYU global sites organize excursions throughout the semester, giving students a chance to explore without having to plan everything themselves. These trips might include visits to historic landmarks, cultural performances, local festivals, or even weekend getaways to nearby cities or islands. At NYU Shanghai, some of my favorite memories came from these excursions, where we visited the ancient water town of Zhujiajiao, walked through the YuYuan Gardens, explored the Jing’an Temple, and took a day trip to Suzhou.

What’s amazing about studying away as a nursing student is that you’re primarily taking elective courses during that semester, which gives you the unique freedom to fully immerse yourself in the culture of the country you’re in. Without the usual intensity of nursing core classes or clinicals, you have the time and freedom to explore unfamiliar places.

Studying away didn’t take me off my nursing path—it made that path wider, deeper, and more meaningful. I came back from Shanghai not just with photos and stories, but with a stronger sense of who I am, the kind of nurse I want to be, and the world I hope to care for. If you’re even thinking about studying away, I want you to know this: it’s possible, and more importantly, this is your moment. Once again, the spring of your sophomore year is the one window built into the nursing curriculum for you to go abroad before clinicals begin and things get a lot more structured. 

What’s amazing about NYU is that you don’t have to choose between being a nursing student and being a global citizen—you can be both. You deserve experiences that challenge you, excite you, and remind you that the world is so much bigger than the clinical schedule awaiting you. So start the conversation, make the plan, send the emails. I promise it’s worth it. I did it, and I believe you can too.