The month I spent in Seville, Spain, this summer was one of the coolest months of my life. From late May to late June, I spent my days sipping Coca-Cola, scaling centuries-old cathedrals and lounging on soft, Spanish beaches. Oh, and studying – it was a study abroad program, after all. The program is one of three summer study abroad programs run through St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y., where I go to school.
My study abroad experience is one I wouldn’t exchange for anything. Nevertheless, there are a few things you should consider before hopping on the next plane to Dusseldorf.
1. The cost
In a 2009 study by the Forum on Education Abroad, rising costs and the need for better funding of study abroad programs tied for the top concern for U.S. institutions regarding education abroad.
One consideration is the cost of long-term vs. short-term programs. While the study indicates that over half of the colleges offer scholarships or financial aid for short-term study abroad programs (8 weeks or less), mine did not. The extra 6.5 grand needed for my Spanish adventure came out of my parents’ pockets (thanks, Mom and Dad!). The good news is, everything from airfare to room and board to hotel costs was included in that price, so I only had to budget for my own personal spending on souvenirs and the like – and only for a month.
If you decide to study abroad for a semester, on the other hand, most (though not all) colleges will apply your financial aid and scholarships toward your tuition as they normally would, and the tuition you pay would be essentially the same as if you were spending that semester at your own college. However, room and board abroad can vary, so it pays (literally) to explore housing options and to know the cost of living before moving in.
2. The credits
Your ceramic Eiffel-tower and copious, baguette-filled memories might seem proof enough of your experience abroad while you’re walking dreamy-eyed through the streets of Paris, but once you return to school you’re going to want to have something else to show for it – namely, a few credits on your transcript. The two things you need to ask yourself ahead of time are a) Will my college accept these credits? and b) Do I need these credits?
There are so many foreign study programs out there that it is important to know which ones your college recognizes. The American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), Central College Abroad (CCA) and the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) are three larger organizations that most colleges recognize. If you do find a more obscure program that you are truly interested in, talk to your school’s foreign study department about it to see if you can work something out. Just don’t assume that credits from any-ol’ program are going to transfer – because you know what happens when you assume…
It is also important to take inventory of the classes you have already taken and to make sure the credits you would earn abroad are credits you actually need. When first considering the summer program in Spain, I had already completed the requirements for my Spanish minor, and I thought that the credits I would earn would count towards my extra electives. But looking over my credits again I realized that I didn’t need any more electives; I therefore decided to switch my Spanish minor to a major so that the credits would count. The point is, even if you think you’re all set with credits, it’s worth a second look.
3. Q: Can I really do this? A: Yeah, you can.
Just like starting college or anything that’s new and unfamiliar to you, studying in a foreign country just takes some getting used to. However, it does help to know yourself in order to make the right decisions for you.
While I hated to see my time in Spain come to an end, I knew that this short-term program was the right option for me. I am very involved in my campus newspaper, and I didn’t want to take a whole semester off from my commitments there. I am also very close to my family (I go to a school fifteen minutes away from home), and I didn’t want to go several months without seeing them. Could I have stayed another two weeks? Most likely. Another two months? Still not so sure. While foreign language teachers will tell you that the longer you stay abroad the better, you ultimately have to decide what works for you.
While it’s up to you how far out of your comfort zone you want to go, I strongly recommend doing some kind of study abroad program while in college. You really do learn a lot about yourself and others, and hey, you might just find out you like eating snails… or maybe not.
