Study Abroad Guide

study abroad

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Participating in a study abroad program is an adventure! Quite possibly one of the most life-altering adventures you will ever take in your life. You are young, living on your own, traveling through a new environment, exploring not only a new city/town but a completely new country, culture and quite possibly, language.

This huge adventure is just around the corner, waiting for you to hop on the plane and take full advantage of the experiences and challenges that are waiting you. Choosing an adventure that will compliment your wants and needs, your personality and your study about goals takes into account a lot of factors.

Preparing to Go

Figuring out the financial state you will encounter while studying abroad will greatly benefit your experience once you’re there. Check out our currency converter to figure out the exchange rates of the dollar to multiple other currencies. Knowing that your $100 might only be worth £70 or so in Great Britain needs to be accounted for in your study abroad budget.

Choose the following links to learn more about what you need to do before heading off to the airport. Also watch our video How to Study Abroad for more information.

Language

First, you need to figure out how intense you want your lingual challenges to be. Did you grow up speaking English and Spanish? Maybe you want to expand that and study abroad in Spain, Portugal or Mexico. Did you take French in high school? Have you always been drawn to the Chinese culture and want to learn more about the Chinese characters and what they mean? Remember, being immersed in a culture whose language is not our own takes a lot of patience and learning. Learn more about the different subtleties found between languages in our languages section and find out how prevalent English is in countries around the world.

Click here to learn more about the different languages offered throughout the world.

Location

Location, location, location. It’s all about location.

  • What kind of climate are you looking for?
  • What activities do you want to do on the weekends?
  • Are you into battle scarred castles with moss growing over the destroyed ghosts of tapestries, or are you more into a mountainous countryside where you can get to really become a part of the community?

All these questions need not only be addressed for what country you decide to live in, but even what continent. Cultural differences reach over continental lines, country lines, city, and even town lines. The question you need to ask is how different you want your study abroad experience to be from the culture and experiences you have at home.

If you are thinking about locations and cannot seem to choose between countries in particular region, consider a semester at sea! Semester at sea programs make port at multiple locations in different regions around the word – depending on what program you participate in. Semester’s at sea are a great experience for anyone looking to make their study abroad experience a broader range of experiencing cultures as opposed to being completely immersed in a single society.

Click here to choose your adventure and learn more about study abroad locations.