Getting Started with Study Abroad

Many people dream about traveling to a foreign country. They imagine lounging on a beach in Greece, surfing some waves in Australia, touring the temples in Japan or hiking in the forests of Costa Rica. Unfortunately, many of these dreams are left unrealized due to costs, bad timing, or individual anxieties and stresses in a persons life. Well, I’m here to tell you that being able to go abroad is a very real possibility for you. Not just that, but you can also get credit while taking classes abroad!

What is Study Abroad?

Studying abroad is where a student of a university takes a semester, year, or summer and spends it in another country taking classes at a foreign university (usually affiliated or partnered with their home university). The credits taken from these courses can then be transferred back to the student’s home university and put towards Gen Ed or major requirements (determined by the home university).

Studying abroad is generally taken during a students sophomore or junior year but it ultimately depends on that students academic requirements and the strictness of their chosen major. As such, a student should always talk to their academic advisor to determine the best time to go abroad.

Why Study Abroad?

Studying abroad is a great opportunity to strengthen your resume, learn about yourself, create global connections and develop real world skills that can aid you in the future.

Just as companies may like to see volunteer or extracurricular activities on a person’s resume, they also enjoy seeing if a prospective employee has studied abroad. This is because many people who study abroad develop real world skills such as cross-cultural conflict resolution, personal adaptability, and interlingual communication.

Don’t let that last one fool you!

Even if you study in a primarily English speaking country, you’ll find that the English they speak isn’t the same one you’re accustomed to. If you don’t believe me, just look up certain phrases for British English and compare it to American English. You’ll find that “courses” are known as “modules” and that “purse” means a “woman’s wallet” in the UK.

Learning about yourself on a deeper level is an added bonus while studying abroad. You’ll learn your comfort zones and test the limits of those zones. By the time you come back from your program, you’ll look in the mirror and find a different person looking back at you after having your experiences while in a foreign country.

Types of Study Abroad?

Studying abroad can come in many different forms. You could go for a semester (Fall or Spring), an entire year (both Fall & Spring), a few weeks out of the summer, or even on an organized internship. There are also programs that, for people who are unable to go during their undergrad career, allow you to go abroad after you graduate–this is especially true for education majors and teachers looking to get experience teaching students in another country.

Two great programs for this would be JET (Japanese Exchange and Teaching) and EPIK (English Program in Korea).

The best way to determine what’s a good fit for you is discussing your goals and wants with your academic advisor to try and settle on a time that wont interfere with your degree progress.

Is it Expensive?

Many people turn away from the mere idea of studying abroad because of the financial aspect that looms in the background. Even I turned away from studying abroad in high school because the price tag was just too high for my family. Lo and behold, I discovered that I could go abroad for way cheaper with my university and spend a longer time in my host country.

Unlike in high school, students in university have their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and, more often than not, this can be applied to your study abroad program. Partner programs such as USAC, CISAbroad, CIEE, etc. generally accept these for their programs, as well.
There’s also no shortage of scholarships out there that you can apply for to make the program more accessible to you.

Just because it seems to come with a hefty price tag, doesn’t mean it’s a foregone conclusion. Different regions of a country may also be cheaper than what you expect. For example, if you’re looking to study in England, look for areas outside of London such as Norwich or Lancaster; there are more experiences to be had than right front and center. You may be surprised at what you can find.

This is just a rough rundown of studying abroad. There’s countless more that can be covered and discussed to help you pursue your goals. Don’t worry, though, there’s definitely more to come, so be on the lookout for more posts on how you can make your study abroad goals a reality one step at a time!

— Shania N Soler (Tokyo, Japan), Study Abroad Assistant