Where Do You Want to Go

Where Do You Want to Go?

There’s a variety of factors that can affect where you want to study abroad. One of the most obvious will be whether or not your home institution has a set list of approved schools to which they send students. If you wanted to study in a country in which the native language wasn’t English, you had to be proficient in that language. So just like that my options were narrowed down to the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Scotland had one of the better schools in the UK as well as some of the best golf in the world, so that’s where I went. 

Here’s a list of other things you’ll want to consider:

Language:

Are you going to be studying a language in a particular country? If not, will you be comfortable in a country where English isn’t the native language? It’s not impossible, and if you’re determined to go to a non-English speaking country, and are confident in your ability to communicate and find your way, by all means go for it. 

Time Table:

 Summer, Semester, or Year? See above. 

Type of Program:

Does your school have the type of program you are looking for? Is there a possibility you might have to go through an independent program? Are you comfortable participating in a program where you won’t know any other students? Which programs can you afford? And how will you take care of tuition costs? 

Major requirements:

Will you be able to complete any major requirements while abroad? Will your
degree progress suffer if you can’t? Will your credits transfer either way? On a different note, many students find that certain classes they take abroad are relatively easy when compared to the same class back in the U.S. or UK.

Weather:

This one’s pretty easy. What type of climate do you want to live in? If your idea of being abroad is on a beach under palm trees, then Moscow probably isn’t for you.

Living Situation:

Do you want to live with a host family or in a dorm? There are positives and negatives
to both.In a dorm, you are more likely to interact with people your age, who going through the same adjustment you’re going through, and can therefore relate with you on a greater level. In most dorms, there’s no curfew, and living in a dorm requires you to be much more independent. 

If you’re studying a language, living with a host family will vastly increase the amount of interactive situations in which you’ll speak that language. There’s also a greater possibility that you’ll experience more local culture first-hand.

Local Life:

Do you want to study abroad in a big city or small town? What is the campus like? Are there any famous landmarks, sights, or tourist attractions close by that you'd like to visit? How's the night life? What is there to do when you’re not in class? 

Travel:

How close will you be to an airport? Are there low cost airlines flying out of those airports? Are you close to countries/cities you want to visit? How long will it take you to travel to different locations?

  

Food:

Do you like the food common in that country? Can you get by on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? While shouldn’t be the deciding factor, I would go somewhere where you can appreciate local cuisine as it’s definitely a big part of the overall immersion experience. 

Type of Program:

Does your school have the type of program you are looking for? Is there a possibility you might have to go through an independent program? Are you comfortable participating in a program where you won’t know any other students? Which programs can you afford? And how will you take care of tuition costs? 

Talk to people from your school or just people that you know that have been there before and ask their opinion. They’ll probably be very happy to share their experience. 

The most important thing is to go with your gut feeling. If there’s a place that you’ve wanted to go since you were 9 years old, then go. Do the research to be sure you know what you’re getting into, and you should be fine.