In the last couple of decades, more and more American students have chosen to study abroad for a year, semester or summer as part of their college education. Beyond the lessons and concepts they learn at their American school, students gain valuable life skills that will help them become stronger leaders, more independent adults, and more socially aware professionals who are sensitive to different cultures and communities. Certain major programs encourage or may even require you to study abroad to graduate. These programs may include international business, foreign language and literature majors, political science or other majors. If you want to study abroad, you’ll need to meet with your advisor and the study abroad office to find out how long you can afford to leave the country — both time-wise and financially. If you find it hard to fit all of your classes in so that you can graduate on time, you may want to go abroad during the summer, for example.
Picking the right study abroad program requires a balance of many factors: your schedule, the number of credits you wish to receive while abroad, your language ability, finances, personal safety, and of course, your own preferences for where you want to travel and live. You should start your research by first outlining a list of goals you want to achieve during your study abroad experience. How many credits you want to fulfill, if any, if you’re going for fun and travel more than serious learning, if you want a full language immersion program, and how long you want to be away are all questions you can ask yourself to prepare.
Next, meet with your advisor and study abroad counselor to get a firm idea of how long you can be away from campus and which kinds of courses you can easily fulfill in a foreign country. Your study abroad counselor should be able to quickly direct you to a selection of programs matching your criteria, from which you can make a final decision. After settling on the academic qualifications of your study abroad program, consider the lifestyle options. Do you want to live with a family or in a dorm-like setting with other foreign students? Do you want to live in a large city or in a smaller town? What attractions are nearby that you can visit on weekends and holidays? Expenses, currency, basic conveniences and safety, the politics of a country, climate, and transportation are all extremely important details that you’ll need to consider so that you will be comfortable and happy as you study abroad. Also ask your counselor if you can read past students’ reviews and recommendations to learn first-hand what their experiences were at the school or program you’d like to enroll in. Try meeting with them on campus or communicating over email for details on packing, studying and getting the most out of your experience. The most important thing you can do is ask lots of questions — of teachers, advisors, counselors, other students, and even yourself.