As I leave on my fourth abroad experience in just over a week, I feel as if I'm somewhat qualified to help others navigate the study abroad experience. Whether you are going on a short trip (my first two were Romania for 2 weeks and Malaysia for 1 week) or a semester (South Africa, Fall 2011, South Korea, Spring 2012) you need to be prepared when you leave for the airport.
I suppose I'll start this new blog post series from the very basic: how to decide where to go. There are many factors that go into choosing what program you want to do.
Do you want to go for a week? a summer? a semester? a year? What works for you depends on how long you can stand to be away from home, away from your home school, and in a new environment, as well as what fits into your academic schedule, what you can afford financially, and what else you have going on with other activities, family, sports, jobs, etc. (If your sister is getting married in the fall, you might not want to be gone for the fall semester, for example...or maybe family get-togethers are not your thing and going abroad is the perfect excuse to get out of it). Like I said, I've done two short programs, and the two semesters I'll have done will come together for a year. In between semesters I am home, but that won't always be the case.
What do you want to get out of your experience? Some people know that they absolutely want a home stay experience. Others want to learn a new language. Or perhaps you really want to be in Rome. Essentially, you have to figure out why you are studying abroad. Talk to friends, family and advisers to help find the program that fits with what you want. My trips have had different purposes. Romania was a service trip organized through Rotary. I got a two week home stay and amazing friend ships out of it. Malaysia was a school trip. I got to see what it means to be socially responsible in Malaysia, explore a new country with my best friend, and meet up with a friend from high school who I never thought I would get the chance to visit. South Africa was the "scary choice", which turned out not to be all the scary. I learned so much about what it means to be a developing nation, and (once again) made some absolutely amazing friends. We'll see what I get from Korea.
Speaking of "programs", there are options. You can go on a program, organized by a study abroad agency such as AIFS or CIEE, which will give you a support system, other students who are studying abroad with you, arrange cultural outings, and so on. Or you could do an exchange program and be pretty much on your own to decide what you do. Some people like the freedom of exchanges, some people like the support of programs. It's up to you. Which one you choose might limit to some extent where you can go. Also, your school might have organized programs. These could be useful because you know your school will be there for support the entire time.
What's more, you need to make sure that you can afford the program. This includes financially, time, credits (will it put you behind schedule? can it get you ahead?). Remember to factor in exchange rates, airfare, room and board, travel and sightseeing, emergency expenses, cell phone, internet (many places do not have free internet) passport, visas...there are a lot of expenses that go into travelling, even for a week!
Now that you are either completely stressed out or very excited about the idea of studying abroad, it is time to choose where you go. Keep in mind everything I've mentioned, and any other factors that play into your decision. Where do you want to go? Europe and Australia are very westernized. Chances are you'll be able to get all of the first world amenities you are accustomed to, unless you go to eastern Europe. Africa, eastern Europe, and the Middle East/Southern Asia are all part of the developing world. You cannot expect to have the same infrastructure as you are used to. East Asia will often have infrastructure, but the cultures are so very different, that you'll certainly have a significant culture shock. English is fairly prevalent across the globe, although just because you can navigate in English, doesn't mean you can communicate in English. Or perhaps you want to put your second language to use. That's why you learned it, after all, right?
That's all for now. Good luck choosing!!
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