Summary Writing Read the following article about going to study abroad.. Write a summary of advice given by students about their behavior before they go to another country, and when they get there. Your summary should be about 100 words long and no more than 120 words long. Use your own words as much as possible. . The Art of Studying Overseas . Going overseas to study is like starting a relationship with a new friend. First, everything about it seems amazing. Then you discover the faults. Then you find these faults charming and, without realizing it, you start to adopt them yourself. By the time you get back your expectations, attitudes and priorities will all have changed. That is one reason why it’s so difficult to settle down back home again after you’ve travelled to another country to study. Studying abroad can be a lonely experience, especially in the first few weeks. You do therefore need to make the effort to get out and about, and to attend foreign student meetings and parties. You should also get in touch with that stranger from home, who has been recommended by your cousin as a good friend, and who just happens to be living and studying in the same town as yourself. It definitely helps if you prepare before you go. Contact students in your institution who have been to the country you are going to, and listen to their advice. Get a few of their friends’ phone numbers , and don’t be shy about calling them. Ask them about packing. Will you need something special for the climate? Or something formal? Remember that you are unlikely to start wearing unusual clothes just because you’re in a different country. Also, other countries do actually have shops. You also need to know what the food is like. And it can be useful to find out about eating habits before suggesting dinner at a restaurant with your newly-found friends. Try to plan what you want to achieve while you are away – in terms of both studying and sightseeing. You should not work so hard that you never leave your study bedroom, and you must try to set aside time for travel. You don’t want your experience of the country confined to the college library and cafeteria. On the other hand, don’t worry if you don’t get to see everything in the tourist brochures, although if you’re studying in Paris, by the time you get home you should know where the famous Eiffel Tower is. No plan made before you arrive in the new country should be too rigid. The key is to go with an open mind and seize opportunities as they arise. Spending hours every morning in a different museum won’t necessarily deepen your understanding of the culture. Of course, museums are ideal places to take your visitors from home, but visits from home can be disrupting and can stop you frtom settling in. It may be comforting to see a familiar face in your first few homesick weeks. However, you don’t want your friends to use your presence abroad as an excuse for a holiday, or to think you are there for a holiday. Above all, don’t be discouraged. Learning a language and coping with different ways of doing things is hard work, so don’t worry about trying to get the top grade. But don’t give up easily either. You can remain self-confident even if your fellow students are more fluent in the local language. Finally, once you get home, think of ways to keep up the links with wherever you were studying – by joining a relevant student society for instance. Like any relationship, if you are going to keep it going at a distance, you will need to work at it.