<p>Hey guys so im for sure planning on studying abroad next year but i dont know if i should go through a program or go through a university? I will be going in fall of 2013 im currently my second year of college as of right now
thanks</p>
<p>I have a daughter that went through her university and one who isn’t (not affiliated with her school) It was less than going through Butler but they do give you perks like trips, orientations, etc. It’s just if the extra fees are worth it to you.</p>
<p>Okay thanks! Was it really that big of a difference for you? Yeah I’m honestly thinking about going through a university now</p>
<p>I think for my daughter, the program cost was 3-4000 more than if she went and did it herself. I’m sure there are advantages but since she didn’t have time to apply for scholarships, it was best for her.</p>
<p>by university you mean going through one in the US not like an exchange right? if so, through a university is sooo much cheaper. i’m going through my school instead of one of those programs and since i go to a state school i’m saving like 5-10 thousand. the trip doesn’t have the little perks and isn’t as coushy as going through a program but it is still nice and in my opinion being picked up at the airport and having an extra excursion isn’t worth the couple grand. i guess it also depends on where you want to go though and if your school/other schools have a program there.</p>
<p>Oh no way is it that much cheaper? I think ill most likey go through a university also… Where did you decide to go? I’m thinking possibly about going to itlay</p>
<p>i’m going to italy too</p>
<p>Stand on your own two feet and direct-enroll in a foreign university. Don’t go through some lame program.</p>
<p>Why not name the programs that are being considered ? This could result in feedback from some who have actually attended each program.</p>
<p>If your home university will accept your credits, direct enroll could save thousands. My D studied in England this way a few years back.</p>
<p>All programs are not lame, though.</p>
<p>I agree. Programs that require you to find your own housing rather than putting you in some ‘international’ dorm, or with other Americans, are not lame.</p>
<p>My D did direct enrollment for a semester at a European University. It was a HUGE amount of work compared to going through a program. The biggest issue was housing. Trying to find housing from the US in a foreign city where housing is very tight is a big problem. I think foreign students would just rather take someone local that they can meet (and who speaks their language fluently) than someone trying to find housing from abroad. My D spent a couple of months constantly monitoring websites where housing options (“looking for roomates”) are posted for this university, and I bet she responded to a couple hundred postings before she got someone who agreed to the hassle of taking a deposit via wire, etc. The university was zero help with this. She finally found someone who was renting a studio apartment out while they came to the US. So she ended up living off campus, without roommates, in a building & neighborhood with no students in it. There were also some hassles with the university in registering for classes; she had emailed ahead of time and worked with her US college on what credits they would accept, but then when she got to the university they were not offering the courses they had assured her would be available via email a month or two previously. She worked it out, but again, huge hassle.</p>
<p>All programs are not lame. And all programs do not put you in international dorms with all Americans.</p>
<p>It was cheaper, as she did not need to pay tuition at her US college. But in retrospect it wasn’t worth it. I think she would have enjoyed a program experience a lot more.</p>
<p>That does all sound rather frustrating, but isn’t she now much better prepared if she decided to move to a foreign country at some point in the future? I’m very dubious about all the ‘intercultural competence’ nonsense that study abroad is supposed to promote, but that does sound like it could be very ueful in that sense.</p>
<p>Much more educational than some lame tour of Stonehenge or the Vatican with a bunch of other Americans.</p>
<p>keepittoyourself, I knew you would jump in on this. It was actually a pretty crappy five month experience, to tell you the truth. This particular country is renowned for having a lot of introverts. My D is a true extrovert (a friend in five minutes everyplace else she has ever been). She had also spent a summer on a homestay in this country and spoke the language fairly well (several years of study befor going). The only friends she made were other international students. And she knew a couple of Americans in the country already, so spent some time with them.</p>
<p>In fact, she had been on a 7 week art history trip of Europe and toured the Vatican during that experience. She had a lot more fun on that trip, and actually learned at least as much about how to navigate in European cities (the kids were pretty much on their own to find food in the cities on that trip, and split up into small groups at least once or twice day and went off on their own to do that). </p>
<p>Stop calling organized programs lame… there is something to be learned from almost every college study abroad program out there. Of course students should consider what they want out of the experience, talk to others who have gone, etc. But going on your own is not the best thing in many cases.</p>
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<p>Then I would say she had a pretty good ‘international experience’, right? An extrovert learning how to deal with a different culture?</p>
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<p>That sounds like a nice vacation. But seriously, I thought study abroad was supposed to be about more than doing things that any 18 year old with a passport and $2000 can do with a few weeks in youth hostels? Your daughter learnt how to do more difficult things than that - based on what you’ve said, your daughter’s five month experience sounds like it could be quite valuable in the future.</p>
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<p>Oh I agree! But if people want to be able to claim they ‘lived’ in a place, they’d better not mean they paid some company huge amounts of money to find them a place to stay and take them on tours with other Americans. That’s called a vacation. I’m not down on vacations, I’m a huge fan.</p>
<p>Hi sheehan1p,</p>
<p>I put up a few posts today and am too pooped to write more. So, in a nutshell, here’s one of the sites links I posted today - [Budget</a> Study Abroad Homepage - Budget Study Abroad](<a href=“http://www.budgetstudyabroad.com/index.php]Budget”>http://www.budgetstudyabroad.com/index.php). It has something up about Italy.</p>
<p>I spent a semester in Italy at an Italian university - they arranged housing, so it was a piece of cake, as they say. On another study abroad trip I had to arrange my own, and yes, it was a pain. But I saved a ton of change.</p>
<p>Where are you gonna go in Italy (actually, you might already be there now!)</p>
<p>You will love it. Just keep cool when the Italians are on strike, trains are late, and there’s all kinds of bureaucratic chaos - it’s part of the Mediterranean charm! (ok, I’m lying - it drove me nuts!) But it’s a beautiful country and the language is great.</p>