On Aug. 26, 2024, I watched some unusual travelers make their way through Logan Airport security: a nervous 18-year-old in a Northeastern t-shirt, tightly gripping a plastic bag labeled — in what could only be a mother’s cursive handwriting — “passport.” Then, a few minutes later, another. And another. By the time these kids reached the end of the line, they had pin-pointed each other’s husky-adorned attire and formed a cluster.

I had no doubt that these were N.U.in students — the one-third of the freshman class who were sent abroad their first semester of college as a condition for their acceptance into Northeastern. Marketed as an “experiential, academic program that expands students’ Northeastern education into worldwide locations,” the testimonials on N.U.in’s program site all but promised cultural immersion and lifelong friendships. Watching as more freshmen meandered toward the group, I felt a pang of guilt knowing that these promises might not hold up for all of them. 

I did my time in N.U.in Rome during fall 2021. While it was filled with delicious scoops of gelato and numerous happy memories, it also included plenty of tearful phone calls to my parents and nights counting down the days until I could come home. Recounting my less-than-ideal experience with the program, I wondered if these kids would return from N.U.in like I did — disappointed in themselves for not having the time of their lives, since others seemed to; mulling over their failure to seamlessly adapt to another culture or to thrive while living away from home. I wondered: Would they end up like me, on their way to study abroad again four years later, in part to prove that none of those things were true? 

Now, having returned from my senior study abroad in Madrid, I’m pleased to report: It wasn’t me, N.U.in. It was you. While N.U.in seemed perfect on paper — spoiling students with the opportunity to live in some of the world’s most iconic places, in above-average housing (I had a three-story apartment!), all while having relatively light coursework — its perks were overshadowed by the bizarre reality of being an unprepared, first-semester freshman in another country. Although my recent study abroad semester in Madrid may have included less resources and convenience, it provided a far more critical baseline factor: stability.

That is why, alongside the glowing praise of those who swear that N.U.in was their best semester at Northeastern, it’s worth acknowledging real, often overlooked challenges of the N.U.in program — and giving the students who struggled through it more credit. 

The most difficult part of N.U.in had to do with friendships. At the time, it didn’t matter that we got to travel to all of these exciting destinations; us being college students, making friends was our primary focus. But this process was filled with anxiety from the moment we were dropped at the airport, from massive groups sizing each other up to awkward small talk while we pretended not to struggle with our luggage. With a lack of casual residence hall interactions or cheesy, yet necessary, orientation bonding games, the hustle and bustle of N.U.in made for anything but a low-pressure environment to meet new people.

Unfortunately, those initial high-stress interactions seemed to determine the rest of your semester there. If you missed your chance to get in on the friend group that was established in the airport terminal gate, you were pretty much out of luck. This sort of cliquishness is obviously not unique to this program or to college in general, but the structure of N.U.in — with programs often composed of less than 200 kids and with no clubs to connect over shared interests  — only exacerbated the effects of being “left out.”

The fact is, the pain of social isolation doesn’t just go away because you’re in a breathtaking location. I vividly remember standing alone outside the Colosseum, one of the seven wonders of the world, only caring about how embarrassing it was to not have a group surrounding me. While the 21- or 22-year-old brain can (somewhat) learn to put these things aside in the name of, “Get over yourself, you’re literally in Rome!” an 18-year-old one certainly isn’t equipped to. 

Even if you do make friends in N.U.in, you then have to wrestle with the money factor. In college, there is a classic piece of advice that in the first few weeks — you should say yes to every invite. Well, given the nature of studying abroad and the (not totally inaccurate) stereotype of N.U.in students making up a wealthier portion of the student body, N.U.in invitations came less in the form of spontaneous trips to the dining hall and instead sounded more like, “Let’s book this $400 weekend trip to Paris.” Cough it up or miss out. 

Yes, traditional study abroad semesters do come with hefty expenses (my bank account is still reeling in the aftermath of Madrid) but they also come with a bit of saved-up co-op money and less risk of freshman year FOMO. Like my roommates in Madrid last semester, most upperclassmen who study abroad are accompanied by a friend or two who will understand if you can’t afford to splurge on every weekend trip or nightly club cover. N.U.in first-years, however — who are desperate to fit in and convinced they can only do so through a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Barcelona — don’t often share that same understanding. For the few N.U.in students without the wallets or parental funding to keep up, there’s a lot more stress going into these trips than meets the eye.

The one challenge of N.U.in I did expect — and that, to its credit, Northeastern provided plenty of resources to help counter — was the culture shock. N.U.in kids get a lot of flack for spending their semesters partying amongst other Americans, rather than fully embracing the culture of their host location. But can you blame them? For students like me, it was our first time being outside of the United States. With the pressure of navigating college coursework and friendship landscapes, even small things like the intricacies of grocery shopping in another country quickly became overwhelming. It’s no wonder that, in favor of branching out to meet locals or discover “hidden gem” cultural spots, students choose to keep it easy: Stick with a group of American friends and enjoy being of legal drinking age before heading to Boston.

Coming home from N.U.in, I didn’t have any of this self-compassion. I remained absolutely convinced that my failure to culturally assimilate (Why didn’t I learn enough Italian? Why didn’t I visit more museums?) marked me as being forever incapable of anything but a cushiony life in my hometown. But after Madrid, I know that my first semester struggles came down to a lack of preparation. The advance notice of traditional study abroad allowed me to make a far more concerted effort to immerse myself in the city. With over a year to plan, I had the luxury of entering Spain with Duolingo sessions under my belt, tips on the best local spots and the overall maturity to try new foods, go new places and talk to new people. Minus the occasional McDonald’s trip that slipped through the cracks, I left Madrid truly feeling like I had committed to engaging in Spanish culture. 

All this to say, my traditional study abroad semester far surpassed my experience in N.U.in Rome. Four years ago, I was too young and immature to truly appreciate the privilege of embarking on such rare experiences. But just because N.U.in was hard for me doesn’t mean that I would trade that semester for anything in the world; in fact, it ended up being exactly what I needed. The bouts of culture shock that once felt so overwhelming? They forced me to get outside of my United States bubble and start learning to cope with unfamiliar situations. My struggle to make friends in N.U.in’s small, cliquey environment? By the time I returned to campus in the spring, this had made me all the more grateful for the freedom of Northeastern’s large and diverse student body. That spring, I was more motivated than ever to join clubs and finally meet the friends I had always hoped for in college. 

So if you were also in N.U.in and didn’t have the best experience, you’re not alone. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not fun, adventurous or appreciative of all the privileges that N.U.in provides. I was lucky enough to study abroad all over again — proving to myself that my first semester didn’t dictate my future, whether as a college student or traveler outside of the United States. But if you don’t get such an opportunity, take this reassurance from me: Without the limitations of the N.U.in program, I’m sure you would have had a better experience.

And for all those who didn’t do N.U.in? Although N.U.in kids likely flooded your Instagram feeds with obnoxious travel posts, and their return to campus has made Marino Recreation Center unbearably overcrowded, they might need a warm Boston welcome more than ever. 

Samantha Denecour is a fourth-year English and political science combined major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at [email protected].