<p>Based on my experience, here’s what I can say on the matter.
First of all, you have to think about what you want to get out of it.<br>
I am so thankful that I ended up staying for a year abroad because once I finally really got settled in I then had a few months to really enjoy myself and do more instead of just having to go home again. I’m in a single apartment-style room in a dorm which actually has not provided me with that much student contact, but I’ve heard that this is more of an exception. One problem about it is that my room is still like my own little American world, so I might recommend a family if you want to be forced to always speak the language and really get a chance to learn about the culture. But it is also nice to have your own space when everything gets too stressful. My abroad uni has many international students, who I’ve enjoyed meeting. I think that it’s great having them there because they provide new insights but they’re also people who understand what I’m going through. At the same time, it is nice to have some other Americans around. I think having a program where you’re basically just kept with the other Americans wouldn’t be the greatest. As the only person from my exchange program here, I sort of have to navigate things by myself and try more to make friends with others which encourages you to really “grow up”. I ended up making friends mostly with some Americans anyway, which is a nice break when you’re speaking a foreign language the rest of the day truthfully, but I also know some regular students. I’d recommend getting involved in some activities, if nothing else, just for getting a chance to practice the language more and maybe meet some new people.
But that’s my experience. Your’s will probably be different. I would definitely recommend spending time in a non-English speaking country. Yes, it will be extremely frustrating, but you also learn so much from the experience. Your language skills will definitely improve! I had the advantage that I, while also far from fluent, could manage myself with the foreign language pretty well once I arrived and therefore had the opportunity to be a bit more independent. If your language really is an issue, then it might be better to find something more structured.</p>
<p>I’ve studied abroad twice, in two really different programs. Last fall I was in Paris in a program through my college, which was fine in some ways, and others not at all. I didn’t like that I was only in a program with Americans, and that I already knew them. I feel like I didn’t learn much French.
I’m actually abroad for the summer in Nice right now in a program I found at Activa Languages, which has been amazing so far. I’m in a program with people from all over the world, so my French has improved sooo quickly! I had a lot of questions before leaving, and they were really really helpful. They’re great if your college doesn’t have a lot of options. They have the most random but cool programs like combining learning Portuguese and Samba dancing. Studying abroad can be fantastic, but the program you choose is really important.</p>
<p>A great option if you are looking for a relatively inexpensive and short term program is Colegio Unamuno or Travel & Education´s Internship abroad in Salamanca, Spain. I am currently in Salamanca for 4 weeks. Colegio Unamuno guarantees significant improvement in your Spanish, regardless of your current level.</p>
<p>Plus, Salamanca is one of the best “college towns” in Europe with thousands of students coming here to learn Spanish.</p>
<p>I studied abroad in Germany, and really fell in love with the country! I did a program where I attended classes, and lived with a host family. I would not recommend staying with a host family, the first family I had were horrible. The second one I then got was much nicer, but living with a family can be awkward and there are sometimes tensions. In retrospect I would have much rather stayed in a dorm!</p>
<p>Im currentlystudying abroad at St. Andrews for the year, and first and foremost, I would say studying abroad is definately something any college student should do. It gives you time off from the monotony of your home university, looks good on resumes, gives you the opportunity to TRAVEL, as well as make friends from all over the world if youre at an inernational school.</p>
<p>Which brings me to my next point. staying with a host family is a great option if your studying a foreign language, but other than that I would not recommend it. While you may not want to live in a dorm, it allows you to interact with loads of people. Youll have a greater oppotunity to make friends, and youll become very close with the people in your hall.</p>
<p>Read up on the education system of the country you are studying in. The system in the UK is alot different than in th US and it is good to be prepared ahead of time.
[Study</a> Abroad Blog](<a href=“The Study Abroad Blog - Nate Nault”>http://thestudyabroadblog.com/)</p>
<p>If you want to stay in an apartment or dorm, then what program would you suggest one go through? I’d like to be in Italy or switzerland, but am not sure what program to go thru. My school does not offer their own.</p>
<p>I studied abroad the summer before my senior year (of high school) and LOVED it. Although I’m sure that an actual college program would be different, I highly recommend it. I’ve made so many lifelong friends and became fluent in Spanish after only 3 years of classes at a sub-par public school. Besides the actual educational experience, being away from everything you know gives you a great vacation and helps you appreciate everything you have back home. We tend to lose ourselves in the daily stresses of everything. I’m not close to my family at all, but I can say that towards the end of the summer away I was missing them like crazy. It was a refreshing experience and I think colleges and grad schools love to see it on a resume. Be careful how you word it though, make it sound like you weren’t clubbing the entire time and like you actually got some work done!</p>
<p>My study abroad trip cost around $5,000 upfront. I raised funds for it and got the final price down to $1200 after donations and financial aid. I spent around $1400 around town in spending money. (That’s the thing you’re gonna wanna take a lot of!) My family is not well-off by any means, but we made the effort and made it affordable for us. The $1200 is sitting on a credit card with 0% interest and I’ve been paying it off every paycheck. The debt (for me) was manageable. </p>
<p>Also, I know a lot of colleges won’t charge you extra for tuition if you study abroad. (I’m pretty sure Notre Dame does this) The only thing that you have to pay for is travel and spending money, but the program itself is included in tuition.</p>
<p>Hey thanks for good info
What’s the name of the program you were involved in?
It would be very helpful if you let me know
thanks</p>
<p>Holy cow! Lots of responses here!</p>
<p>Since nobody suggested this, I will. If you can afford to pay $5000 for a semester instead of $15,000 (or $20,000 or more)…go on your own. Do it independently. Universities and language schools all over the world have programs for international students and compared to the cost of the US programs, they’re really cheap!</p>
<p>Figure this out: if you go on you’re own, you don’t get financial aid. But, you also don’t pay $20,000 – instead, you pay $5000. So if you can afford to give up $10,000 in student loans for a program that costs $20,000, and just pay $5000, you might want to consider it! It’s what I did–I just didn’t have the money to study abroad, so I did a lot of research and found that there were all sorts of programs in the woodwork. I actually studied abroad several times independently.</p>
<p>“oh no! I won’t get credit!” If you go on your own, getting credit can be done a few different ways. “Independent learning contract,” “standardized tests”, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t know what you want to study. I studied abroad for languages, so those are the types of programs I know best. If you want to study hydraulic engineering, though, you’re going to Holland and you don’t have many options.</p>
<p>Here’s a link for some info on getting credit independently (for languages) – if I type all this info my hands are gonna get cramped and end up like chicken…feet, or whatever chickens have:</p>
<p>[Getting</a> Academic Credit for Study Abroad at a Language School](<a href=“http://languageschoollinks.com/navpages/academic_credit.html]Getting”>http://languageschoollinks.com/navpages/academic_credit.html)</p>
<p>The whole credit thing is–well, it seems complicated, no matter where you study abroad. Someone should make a website that just deals with credit for study abroad!</p>
<p>Re: Host families–surprisingly, I have not heard bad stories about homestays. I don’t know how programs screen the families, but they seem to do a good job. You’re right though–student apartment or dorm = more freedom.</p>
<p>Re: Spanish. If you’re going abroad and you’re not learning a language, you are missing out on one of the best investments you could make in yourself. And if you’re not going to learn Chinese, Spanish is THE language to learn. Another link for you (same site as above, but for Spanish schools). </p>
<p>[Learn</a> Spanish in Spain, Mexico, South America or Central America](<a href=“http://languageschoollinks.com/navpages/learn_spanish.html]Learn”>http://languageschoollinks.com/navpages/learn_spanish.html)</p>
<p>btw, learning a language abroad is nothing like learning it at home, at college or in high school. It’s a heck of a lot more fun and I’ll be darned if you don’t learn fast! There’s something about being in the culture where they speak the language – your brain just switches on a part that it never really uses, and you absorb, absorb, absorb…</p>
<p>Happy hunting! Do lots of research!</p>