Study Abroad Blog

 When you choose to study abroad, sometimes you inevitably will be sitting in a classroom filled with other Americans. To some, this may seem completely illogical. You go to study abroad to meet the locals — not locals in your own country.  However, studying abroad with Americans has its advantages and disadvantages. Here are are some advantages of study abroad with Americans from Student Traveler Magazine.

• • The lack of other Americans means you won’t have to endure critical analyses of recent U.S. cultural issues, like which Hilton sister is a better actress or the last episode of “Friends.” (Note: For some, this may be a drawback.)
  • Your new foreign pals will have slightly different customs (“Vassily, what are you wearing?”), but go with it coolness is so subjective, anyway. You may come home with a fresh sense of style or a newfound taste for stewed offal. (It’s happened before.)
  • Most schools will not only let you take classes, they’ll also permit you to join their teams, clubs, and organizations, another fantastic way to chill with local students. You may discover a new side of yourself for example, that you excel at Patanque, or, conversely, that your boogie-boarding skills are mere tiddlywinks compared to your Aussie buddies’.

But of course, there is always the other side of the coin with studying with other Americans. Here, an article in Student Traveler Magazine discusses the disadvantages of studying abroad with Americans.

• • Language, language, language. We’re not just focusing on Monty Python accents and Cockney slang; at least in England it’s still English. But if you study abroad in a non-English-speaking country and want to attend a local university, be sure your language skills are up for the challenge. You’ll be shown no special favors generally, but of course, your fluency will improve exponentially.
  • Most U.S. schools and study-abroad companies charge the equivalent of a full semester’s tuition at an American university to study at a foreign college. But native students at those schools are usually paying much less than you, sometimes by a matter of several degrees, meaning their spending habits will probably outpace yours, particularly at the pubs. Remember to take it easy.
  • Each country has its own official, nonsensical way of dealing with paperwork and rules, and that extends to schools. (“Of course we don’t require advisers to inform students when they take abrupt, month long vacations”). American-run programs abroad tend to handle all the bureaucracy for you, which can be a huge benefit. This also applies to the level of academic rigor: you know what you’ll get with an American-run program, but the foreign classes can be crushingly hard or easier than taking the London Tube.

Here are some important steps before you study abroad, from Student Traveler Magazine.

Get approval in writing, if possible, for the expected credits from your study abroad academic advisor at your school.Know what the grade requirements are for receiving credit. Your school may not accept pass/fail grades from an overseas school.

Plan ahead, since many deadlines for study abroad programs are six months or more in advance.

Know how much you can afford while you study abroad, even with financial aid.

Look at all your options for housing, including student housing, homestays with local families and apartments.

Studying abroad is a great opportunity to live and learn in a new culture. Take these first steps to make a study abroad experience a reality.

Most study abroad programs offer summer, semester or year long study abroad in Barcelona, London, Munich, and Paris. So the decision becomes whether to actually study abroad in Europe.

Justin Deitchman, in an article in Student Traveler Magazine, talks about his experience.

When I was in college I spent a summer studying abroad in London. It was an incredible experience not only because I learned a lot, met some cool people, and got to study British literature in the places where it was actually written, but also because it provided me with a jump-off point to travel all over Western Europe.

That’s one of the greatest things about studying in western Europe – everything is right there! You can study in Germany, and hop on a train one weekend to go to Amsterdam. Or you can study in Paris and catch the Chunnel (now faster than ever!) and spend the day in London.

Your college usually has a study abroad office that has programs in Western Europe to choose from. UCLA’s Education Abroad Programs (http://www.international.ucla.edu) offer study abroad in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and Ireland. They also offer programs in Asia, the middle east and Africa. The University of Maryland (http://www.international.umd.edu) has programs all over Western Europe as well. Of course, there are just two schools so check with your Education Abroad Department.

Most study abroad programs offer summer, semester or year long study abroad in Barcelona, London, Munich, and Paris. So the decision becomes whether to actually study abroad in Europe.

Justin Deitchman, in an article in Student Traveler Magazine, talks about his experience.

When I was in college I spent a summer studying abroad in London. It was an incredible experience not only because I learned a lot, met some cool people, and got to study British literature in the places where it was actually written, but also because it provided me with a jump-off point to travel all over Western Europe.

That’s one of the greatest things about studying in western Europe – everything is right there! You can study in Germany, and hop on a train one weekend to go to Amsterdam. Or you can study in Paris and catch the Chunnel (now faster than ever!) and spend the day in London.

Your college usually has a study abroad office that has programs in Western Europe to choose from. UCLA’s Education Abroad Programs (http://www.international.ucla.edu) offer study abroad in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and Ireland. They also offer programs in Asia, the middle east and Africa. The University of Maryland (http://www.international.umd.edu) has programs all over Western Europe as well. Of course, there are just two schools so check with your Education Abroad Department.

Spain has always been at the top of the list of those that want to travel. It’s also in the top ten for countries to study abroad in. Just north of the capital of Madrid is one of the most popular colleges to study abroad in Spain: University of Alcala de Henares. It is located about 40 minutes north of Madrid by Spain. What makes the city and school unique? It’s the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote Don Quixote. It also is the town where Christopher Columbus prepared his trip to the New World.

Jason Gurvitz wrote this in Student Traveler Magazine about his time at the university:

You are at home. You are comfortable and exhilarated. It is not often that feeling at home also means feeling non stop energy, excitement, and wonder but this home is different from what you are used to. This is what it’s like to study abroad in Madrid. One of the most underrated cities in all of Europe, it is the heart of Spain and the lifeblood of a culture that has maintained its identity in our overly structured and sanitized modern world. Although the city can seem daunting to the world-weary traveler at first glance, don’t be surprised if you call it home after only a couple of weeks.

The town has so much history, and is so close to the capital. There is no wonder it has been such a popular place to study abroad in Spain. The nightlife is second to none, and you can be studying at a bar across the street from a church that was in the middle of the civil war. Like the rest of Spain, you feel like you are living the history.

If I were back in college, and had the opportunity to study abroad, I would be hard pressed to find a better study abroad destination than Spain. Having traveled through much of this beautiful and diverse country, I can definitively say that Spain is an amazing place with a lot to offer any traveler or study abroad participant.

One thing that I noticed that defined the Spanish culture for me was the escalator etiquette. In the London, if you stand on the right side of an Tube station escalator, you’ll get run down by a mob of briefcase-wielding business men and various other frenzied pedestrians. It is very organized – stand on the left, walk on the right, and don’t screw up! In Spain, the scene is quite different. People stand with legs and arms spread, in defiance. The mindset seems to be, “if the stairs are moving on their own, why should I walk up them?” And trying to push past is almost a futile endeavor. You’ll get that look that says, “where do you have to be that’s so important?”

Beside the Bob Marley-mellow vibe, Spain also has some interesting culture, amazing food, beautiful beaches, great weather, and the nightlife, well that’s a whole other blog. Anyone interested in studying abroad in Spain should still intend to take their classes seriously. You’ll be able to get a lot out of your time abroad in Spain if you work hard at your classes, learn the local language, and put aside a bit of time for fun as well.

But how do you plan for study abroad trip to Spain. According to Student Traveler, first make sure your credit is transferable. Next, figure out the best timing to go. Then, look into housing arrangements, and finally work on costs and getting financial aid.

The laid back atmosphere doesn’t mean that it’s all one big party, but if you study abroad in Spain and don’t sample the tapas bars and all-night clubs, you’ll be missing out on one of the most fun parts of the Spanish cultural experience!

For more information on study abroad in Spain, check out Student Traveler’s study abroad section.

Work experience can be a wonderful opportunity while you study abroad. Some study abroad programs already provide internship opportunities. Here is how you can work overseas while you study abroad.

6 months or longer:

You must apply for entry clearance indicating whether you want to undertake paid work while in the UK. Entry clearance documents for students will be endorsed with a “Code 2″ stamp, which states “No recourse to public funds. Work (and any changes) must be authorised”. This stamp entitles you to work with the above restrictions. You can not work if your stamp reads “Work is prohibited”.

6 months or shorter:

You must tell the immigration officer if you intend to work while in the UK. He or she will then ask to see evidence that you have been accepted as a student at a higher education institution and that you have sufficient funds to cover your stay in the UK.

In order to enter the UK as a student, you must be able to prove that you are able to financially support yourself while studying. You may not use any additional money earned through employment in the UK as proof of these funds. Should you satisfy the Immigration Officer’s requirements, you will be given a “Code 2” stamp which reads “Work and any changes must be authorised.” This stamp gives you permission to work up to 20 hours per week during term and up to 40 hours per week during vacations. A “Code 3” stamp, which reads “Work and any changes are prohibited”, means you are not allowed to work while you are in the UK.

You should be aware that Immigration Officers are not required to give students studying in the UK for less than six months the Code 2 stamp. The decision is on an individual basis and at the Immigration Officer’s discretion. Source: British Council

Student Traveler Magazine also has a checklist of what you need to do to work overseas.

Do you like to cook. Is the Food Network your favorite channel? Maybe you should consider to taking cooking lessons while you study abroad in Spain. Here is an article from Matt Goulding at Student Taveler about doing just that.

 When Chef Federico placed the large, purple octopus on the cutting board in front of me, I brandished my 12-inch knife like some sort of culinary Captain Nemo.

“What the hell is - Que es esto, chef?” I asked, tightening my grip around the rubber handle. My long white apron was covered in black ink splotches, the remnants of an earlier battle with a group of baby squid.

“Tranquilo, Californiano, esta muerto,” Fede shot back at me, a mischievous smirk under his rigid, towering toque. One of the tentacles unfolded on the board, its limp, slimy tip hanging off the stainless steel counter, and I saw he was right; the thing was dead. The other study abroad students began to lose it, first the restaurateur from Pamplona, then the lawyer fresh from a study abroad in Madrid and the homemaker from Bilbao not a soul able to contain their utter pleasure in seeing a foreigner, an American at that, struggle with a northern Spanish staple. But after two weeks of searing goose livers and sauteing pigs’ faces in a Basque culinary school, I had to be prepared for anything.

From an archived article in Student Traveler Magazine by Matt Goulding. See the entire article on study abroad in Spain at a cooking school

Two weeks ago we talked about independent study-abroad programs. Many of these also have study abroad scholarships available. Rotary International, the Gilman Scholarship, and NSEP (for graduate students) all offer money to pay for your studies abroad.

But make sure to ask your school’s study abroad advisor about scholarships through your university. Also consider a program provider, such as these four who all have scholarships.

American Institute of Foreign Study (AIFS)
Council of International Education (CIEE)
Institute of International Education(IIE)

University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC)

From an archived article in Student Traveler Magazine. See the entire article on Study Abroad Scholarships

Graduate degrees are becoming more popular with Americans studying abroad in the UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Mexico, Egypt, Australia, and Ireland. They are learning new languages, assimilating new cultures, and getting a fresh perspective on the place they call home.

Their reasons for doing their studies abroad for the long term are as varied as you can imagine. Some are looking for a particular degree they can’t obtain at home, some want to experience a different political environment, and others are just saving money.

After being waitlisted for U.S. medical programs three years in a row, Ben Cox decided to pursue his dream by obtaining a medical degree elsewhere. “I am kind of stubborn and refused to take no for an answer,” says Cox, now a first-year med student in the medical program at the Charles University (cuni.cz), in Prague. “I knew it would be worth it to go halfway around the world for this degree.”

What the degree entails is not all that different from what Cox would go through in the States gross anatomy and an annual tuition bill of $11,000 (the program is free for Czech citizens)and his diploma will allow him to be approved for licensing back home as well. But over the next six years, Cox will also have to learn the Czech language. “We have to show a certain level of proficiency by the third year in order to move into our clinical phase,” he says. But the beautiful city, where Cox shares an apartment in a trendy neighborhood with two North American roommates, has made that prospect a welcome challenge. “I definitely like it here,” he says, “and can easily see myself spending the next six years in Prague.”

From an archived article in Student Traveler Magazine by Jeff VanDam. Read the entire article on Full Immersion in Study Abroad