I'm travelling for a month before arriving at University of St Gallen for my study abroad. Are there any facilities in/near a major airport where I could store my large suitcase while I travel with my backpack? I won't have access to my student housing when I initially arrive, so I was hoping to store my suitcase near an airport hub where I could easily retrieve it prior to heading for Switzerland. I appreciate your help!
Contact the school and ask if they have a place where you can store your stuff, or maybe someone could ship it to you later at the school.
My daughter had this issue several years ago prior to studying abroad in London. She posted her situation on her Facebook page and on other social media, and lo and behold a friend of a friend who was living in London was willing to store the big suitcase in her home for several weeks while my daughter was travelling. If it doesn't work out with your European university to store your bag, it may be that someone in your network of students and new grads lives near a European airport hub or knows someone who does, who could hold your bag. And you might bring them a "gift from home" and gain a new friend in the process! Just a thought...
The above recommendation is good. Second you might look at how much you are taking. When our son spent a semester at the Univ of Madrid he was strongly encouraged by his campus's study abroad office to take min clothing. Their argument was that the students will find that their American clothing will not match their peer's clothing at the school so the tendency will be to replace their clothing to match their peer group. That was true. He asked us to bring an empty suitcase when we visited during Spring break to take home the clothing he had originally packed for the trip. Before he return he spent about a month traveling in Europe. He keep enough clothes to travel lightly via backpack and gave or sold the rest to other students. He found a fairly active used clothing market among the student abroad students coming and going.
It will be a great experience for you but be careful about over packing. Go light and buy what you need when you get there.