Now, while I am abroad I still need to stay on top of my finances. It is expensive to study abroad; most of the time you cannot get paid to work, not that you would want to because that would take away from the amount of time you have for adventures and exploring. I have been steadily on the search for a PAYING summer internship and scholarships. So far I haven't had much luck, but I'm determined that if I keep at it something will come through eventually. So this post has two points 1) scholarships, and 2) internships.
1) They say a picture says a thousand words, so an info graphic must say 1000 plus however many words it has on it in writing, right? Check this out:
http://bit.ly/zur2bn
That graphic pretty much covers it, so I guess there's nothing else for me to say on the matter? Not quite. Each week I make myself a to-do list, and each week I set a goal to apply to at least 5 scholarships or internships. So far I am definitely doing better with the scholarships. But here's what you need to know if you will be doing this from abroad. You NEED to have materials together early! Many scholarships require official transcripts, recommendations, etc. all sent in the same package. This will often mean that it simply cannot be done from abroad unless you have someone back home willing to do a lot of the work for you (which, let's be honest, is kind of cheating). So you need to be proactive and have packages together so if you come across a scholarship to apply to while you are away the work that your faithful assistant (by name of mom, dad, brother, sister, or best friend) is minimal (pretty much just print off a form you send them and put the package in the mail). Really, your best bet is to apply to as many as possible before you go, though. Better yet, try to find scholarships to pay for your study abroad experience. There are a lot out there (I am particularly a fan of fastweb: http://www.fastweb.com/referral/KateM265 ) so start looking!
2) First, a little bit of a rant. When you are asked to give a company your resume and cover letter to be considered for the position, and you clearly spell out in your cover letter that you are in a foreign country, said company should not email you asking when you are available to come in for an interview. They should respond acknowledging that you are abroad, which they love, so they want to find an alternative way to conduct the interview. Now, I understand that often recruiters spend maybe 15 seconds on resumes, or some short amount of time like that. Fine. Then at least respond when I email you back saying I'm abroad, whether you would like to pursue the opportunity or not. You like me enough to want to interview me, don't disappear because I am gaining a global experience.
Rant done.
That being said, this week has been better. I have not only received a response, but I have also had continued interest (and from the internship I want the most, too!) So I am particularly excited and was considering skipping the rant.
So as I allude to in my rant, the internship search is difficult from abroad. Many companies are able to find a large enough applicant pool that is readily available for in person interviews so they don't need to seriously consider applicants who present any need for accommodation. Which means when searching from abroad you need to really prove yourself. Highlight the how being abroad is not a complication, but a benefit because you gain (insert whatever you have gained from the experience). It is also a good idea to be proactive here. If you see an interviewer will be on campus while you are abroad, email them beforehand to see if there are alternatives. Try to apply to internships before you go abroad if possible. This can be difficult if you are in my position, however, as I am doing a year abroad split between two continents, two time zones, and particularly inconvenient timing. See, I left for the first semester in July 2011 and won't be fully over jet lag until July 2012. But most people do just one semester, and most people will be home in time for the normal start to an internship.
So how has my time abroad made me a better candidate?
1) It has given me a global perspective and experience. In the past year or so I have been to 2 new continents, spent time in 4 new countries, outside of the airport, and been to 8 new airports. Beyond the numbers, I bring a diverse experience as I have been to non-standard countries. I went to Malaysia last March, South Africa last fall, and now I am in South Korea.
2) It has made me more passionate. Through my many adventures this past year I have learned a lot about what it means to be socially responsible. This has stirred my passions for education, community service, and, of course, travel. The smile on a child's face when you speak to her in her own language, and then she manages to do the math problem on her own, that smile is priceless.
3) I have grown an immense amount in many ways. I'm more independent now that I've been out in the world on my own. I had to learn how to do things on my own, without being able to call home and ask the simple questions that as young adults we so often have. I'm more mature, as I've seen unimaginable things. There's a lot more to this world than we hear about through the media, and I have witnessed much of it first hand.
4) I am better at communicating. When you are limited to the occasional direct correspondence you learn what you need most out of a conversation. It was especially difficult in South Africa since the internet access was not to first world standards. That's why I'm better at blogging this semester. Though I must say, I'm still slow with getting pictures to facebook :/
I could keep going, but I'm sure you get the point by now. School is expensive, but I would not trade this year for all of the money in the world. The things I have seen and done, new foods, new friends, new families, it is all worth every minute of the experience.
That's all for now, so to everyone currently on spring break or about to go, safe travels, and enjoy the experience!
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