Studying abroad requires preparing much in advance. I started searching for the right program in mid Fall even though I wanted a summer program. There are quite a few things you should think about. Where do you want to go? How long do you want to be there for? How are you going to pay for it? You also need to consider the system the school you’re applying for runs on. Many schools run on a semester system. Schools in Japan tend to run on a trimester system. Its important to double check that your school abroad will end in time for you to return for the start of classes in your home school.
Below are the a list of things you should consider as you’re searching:
- Where do you want to go?
- How long will you be there?
- What season are you going?
- How will you pay for it? What is your budget?
- Do you have a passport already?
- Does the country you want to go to require a visa?
- Hidden costs (food, transportation, airfare, passport, visa, spending money, etc)
- Semester, trimester, or quarter system?
- Departure and return dates – will you make it back in time for the start of classes?
- What year do you want to go? (Sophomore and Junior year are the recommended years to go)
- Housing – does the program offer housing with utilities?
- Courses – what do you want to study?
- Credit – does it matter if the credits count for any requirement at your school? (GE’s maybe)
- Language – does it matter to you if the country isn’t an English speaking one?
- Health insurance – some programs offer health insurance as part of their programs but if not you can get an ISIC Card which is pretty cheap and includes basic health insurance abroad for students.
- Will you be able to withdraw cash over there?
Choosing the Country
I chose China because I wanted to learn more Mandarin and practice using it in everyday life. If you’re choosing a non-English speaking country you should make sure you will be comfortable with that before finalizing your decision. I admit it was quite uncomfortable for me to speak elementary Chinese in Shanghai since I am of Chinese descent so the native Chinese there would find it very odd when I can’t understand what they’re saying. I ended up making sure I was always with a friend (who was obviously not Chinese) when I went out so that people would be able to tell that I was a foreigner as well (though many people still looked to me to translate what my friends were saying haha!).
It’s also important to know that living standards in your country abroad might not be what you’re used to in your home country. Luxuries such as air conditioning or heating may not come free of charge in the dorm you’re in. Even utilities may not come free. In my room in Shanghai, we had a monthly limit of the amount of electricity we could use before being charged a fine. Even small things we might take for granted might not be offered in the country abroad. For example, its not common for public bathrooms in China to have toilet paper or toilet seat covers. Usually only higher end restaurant or places that mainly foreigners go to will have it provided.
You should also consider possible health-related issues you may encounter. Are you a vegetarian? It may not be the best of ideas to choose a country that serves meat with most of their dishes. Do you have asthma? A country with many smokers might not be a comfortable place to stay for several months.
Cost
My advisor told me I was starting really early but because of this I was able to just make it in time to apply for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. I knew there was no way I would be able to completely pay for the trip by myself without some sort of financial help. Because of this, I also choose a relatively cheap program. I ended up choosing CEA’s summer program with a tuition of around $3000 USD. This was a one month summer program to Shanghai, China that included a course in Mandarin at Shanghai Normal University along with housing and utilities.
I calculated the costs before I applied to the program but neglected to include things such as the cost of passport and visa. I did not have a valid passport so I had to get a new one which ended up costing around $100. China also requires a visa to enter and leave the country and that added another $130-ish to the cost. Passports also take awhile to process so if you do not already have a passport it’s important to apply for one early since you will need it to get the visa (assuming you need a visa).
A few other hidden costs I didn’t think about was health insurance which was required for my program but was not included in the tuition price. There was also the cost of the housing deposit which was also not included in the tuition price (though this was returned to me later but I still had to front the money). There was also an unexpected key card deposit when I arrived to China which was 100 RMB (about 15 USD). In the end there was an unexpected cost of around $700 for things I didn’t think about when I first applied.
Try to make a list of all the costs while you’re planning so that you know exactly how much you need to fund your trip. Tuition is only part of it! Airfare can be quite a bit too if you plan to go during tourist season. And don’t forget spending money for food, transportation, and gifts.