<p>Is the experiance different between the two? Studying aborad during the normal school year or going on a summer program and going abroad? </p>
<p>Would you recommend one over the other?
What is really taken away from going during the summer instead of the school year?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I want to know this too.</p>
<p>One of the major differences is the duration of the stay (typically 4 - 8 weeks for most summer programs that I am aware of) vs. 13 - 15 weeks for a full semester. </p>
<p>There will also be a difference in the social/recreational opportunities available at the school itself. (Just think about attending a summer program at a college here in the US and how that compares to attending that same college in the fall.) On the other hand, the broader advantages of just living in a different country -- exploring different foods and customs, learning to speak and/or practicing a second language, learning about a different culture, etc. -- will be there any time of the year.</p>
<p>Another aspect of traveling abroad to consider (although it may be a minor one for some people) is the weather - we've had experiences with both summer and spring semester abroad, and from my kids own personal opinion, as far as the weather was concerned, they definitely enjoyed the summer more than the spring - it was cold and damp in Europe (London/Paris/Amsterdam,Belgium, etc.) until May - that's when the weather began to improve, so Jan.-April was reported as being kind of dismal and not pleasant. In retrospect, they thought that taking a study abroad in either the summer or the Fall would be ideal as far as better traveling weather.</p>