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Approximately 200,000 American college students study abroad each year. Would you like to be one of them? Read on to learn how to study abroad.
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Approximately 200,000 American college students study abroad each year. Would you like to be one of them? Read on to learn how to study abroad.
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Introduction
- Studying abroad is a great way to enrich your undergraduate education, providing opportunities to meet new people and have new experiences. You need to select a program, plan to fit the time abroad into your schedule, and determine how to finance the experience.
Step 1: Select a Program
- Most colleges have their own programs, or arrangements with other schools and programs that are available to you. Independent programs, such as AFIS, also sponsor study abroad programs. If you plan on participating with an independent program, check with your school to make sure the credits earned will count towards your degree requirements.
Step 2: Begin Planning Early
- Studying abroad adds a complication to your college schedule. As courses provided in study abroad programs may be limited, you'll usually need to take them as electives. Meet with your advisor in your freshman year, and map out when you'll take each required course for your degree, working around the semester you plan on studying abroad.
Step 3: Consider the Costs
- Some schools hold the costs of their sponsored programs to be the same as their domestic tuition, only requiring students to pay travel costs, while others charge a higher tuition for these programs. Make sure you understand the costs involved ahead of time, so you can budget for them.
Step 3: Investigate Mini-Terms
- If cost or scheduling constraints prohibit you from spending a semester or a year abroad, consider a mini-term. Some schools have programs that permit you to take one course on an intensive schedule while spending only a month abroad.
- Usually offered during January or May
- Popular with science students who may have a tough time filling all their major requirements if they spend a semester overseas
