What You Need to Know About Studying Abroad

by Austin Tye
(Midwest)

Studying abroad can offer incredible opportunities for cultural enrichment, experiential learning and even foreign language study. Students studying abroad often refer to it as a watershed moment in their lives. Learning about a place in a textbook is very different from experiencing a foreign country in the context of everyday routines.



Studying French in a classroom is very different from leaving class and walking to a nearby café for a croissant, coffee and conversation with some friendly French patrons. Learning about the military might and cultural mecca of the British Empire in the 19th century is very different from walking through the majestic grandeur of Westminster Abbey. Studying abroad can provide students with a life-changing paradigm shift. But many students assume that the expense of studying abroad will be prohibitively expensive and never apply.



No matter if you're attending a state university, a small private college or pursuing an online degree, studying abroad is not only possible, it can be fairly easy. Most state schools and private colleges offer extensive study abroad programs that typically add very little extra cost to normal tuition. Students who are taking online classes and want to travel have the added flexibility of being able to complete their coursework from anywhere as long as they have a computer and Internet access.



If you're interested in study abroad, there are several options. Most study abroad programs offer either full year or single semester study abroad programs. These typically involve attending classes in a foreign university just like you would at your own college. Whether you stay with a local family or in a dorm room is usually your choice.

However, if you really wish to immerse yourself in the culture and language of your host country, staying with a local family can be invaluable. If you're more introverted and like a lot of privacy, you can choose the dormitory option. But if you're in a non English speaking country, living with a local family will supercharge your language acquisition and dramatically increase your vocabulary and make those awkward verb conjugations much easier with all the practice.

If you are interested in studying in an English speaking country, staying with a family is still a really good choice. It's not uncommon for students who travel abroad to experience a little bit of homesickness and occasional feelings of alienation. Staying with a family can integrate you into the comforting daily routines of life abroad and allow you to move more quickly from feeling like a foreigner to feeling like a welcome guest.

If you're taking online classes, you can create your own individually tailored travel plans. If you're interested in English literature and history, you might even consider spending three weeks in several cities. Three weeks is long enough to get familiar with a city and discover what it has to offer. A great nine-week program could include three weeks in London, England, three weeks in Edinburgh, Scotland and three weeks in Dublin, Ireland. Each of these cities has huge offerings of culture, art and architecture. Traveling by train with a Eurail pass is one of the most economical and interesting ways to travel between these cities. And watching the scenery gradually change through the window of your passenger car is always more gratifying than flying from one city to another with no sense of the landscape that connects them.