It’s 10:30 pm the night before my flight to Paris, and my room looks like a bomb went off.

Clothes are everywhere and very few decisions are being made. As a Dickinsonian who will be spending a week in Paris before her much awaited study abroad in Toulouse, many questions are buzzing in my brain, although not the ones you would think. Normally I would concern myself with my arrival and departure times, the location of my host family, the amount of Euros I have, etc. But sitting here in my cluttered room with an empty suitcase, I have one thought. “What would the Parisians think if I wore my crocs?”

Style is a big issue when it comes to study abroad. There is a dilemma: should you be your trendy American self, or conform to the edgy high fashion norms of Europe? While it may not be the most philosophical question we Dickinsonians have ever pondered, how you dress while abroad does send a message. While it may be okay to don your leggings and rugby tee for that 8:30 class in good old Carlisle, I have a feeling the French won’t take to kindly to how we Americans handle early mornings. What’s a girl to do?

Wasn’t it Aristotle who said something along the lines of “Everything in Moderation?” Why not try a little of both? Maybe I can bring my favorites like my cropped denim shorts or my brown riding boots. I just need to be sure I look my best. After all, I am representing myself as well as my country. If you find yourself in a similar situation, do a little foreign diplomacy and bring that black blazer from your INBM seminar and your mother’s Hermès scarf from her corporate days to show the Europeans you mean well. I promise, you’ll look fabulous doing it!