<p>I'm a freshman at Michigan State and I've been considering studying abroad. The program I'm interested in takes place in London, Paris, and Prague. Due to the places that the program visits, the price is pretty steep. I feel like I would be able to attend the trip, but I also feel like I'll be flat broke once I come back home. The program focuses on photo communication, which is exactly what my future career plans entail. It's a great opportunity and it would really benefit me. I guess my question is: when is the best time to study abroad in your college career? Is freshman year too early?</p>
<p>Also, what are the pros and cons of studying abroad?</p>
<p>Well, I haven’t studied abroad yet, but I do know some things. Yes, freshman year is too early. I’m pretty sure most (maybe even all) schools don’t allow it. Most people study abroad their junior year (which is what I am doing next year). I haven’t exactly been weighing pros and cons, since the biggest con (expense) is not an issue for me. I have a rather large scholarship, which I can apply to study abroad, and my parents are paying the rest. But without this, I may be forced to seriously consider not going, or at least look for a cheaper program. For pros, my main one is AWESOME. Also, I’m a history major, interested in British history, so I can take a lot of classes and see a lot of things I couldn’t in the U.S. If I were an engineering major, for example, study abroad would be less valuable (beyond the simple reason of awesome). So yeah, I think it is a pretty individual choice.</p>
<p>Most people study abroad during junior year, but I know a couple people that went abroad second semester sophomore year. Unless your school has specific freshman study abroad programs, it’s generally too early.</p>
<p>My school has a program where we spend our first year abroad. I don’t see anything wrong with it because we get our general classes out of the way and then come back to study our major.</p>
<p>Junior year is definitely the most popular time to do study abroad, and alot of people do it in fall semester. That way they’re back in the US to line up a summer job or internship and work out housing for senior year, especially if they’ll live off campus.</p>
<p>But if you’re talking about a specific program, and one that meshes with your major, then it seems it’s more important to fit it in with your course progression. Is the program through your school? They’d have a better idea of when to do the program.</p>
<p>As far as the benefits, if you haven’t traveled to other countries much, it’s a great opportunity to spend time exploring new places, cultures, and meeting new people with other perspectives. It’s one of the few times in your life you get a chance to spend more than just a week or two in a foreign city.</p>
<p>I’ve never been abroad but I want to really bad. As I look into the details I feel one of the best times to go would be sophmore year. As an engineering major, the later I go, would make it harder because my upper classes are so specific. As a sophmore I would still have general education crap to get out the way. So going abroad would make most sense when I have electives and general education classes to knock out. </p>
<p>Seeing as how your not an engineer, and most of those who travel abroad aren’t, going as a junior when your more experienced in the world’s nuiances makes sense.</p>
<p>The university I attend has no restrictions on when we can study abroad because other freshmen are also involved in the program that I’m interested in and if I participated on the trip, I would be getting two required classes out of the way.</p>