<p>India? Southern India? DS, I hope is seeing a new prospective in India, courtesy of MSFT. Banguluru city of 5+ million, and they all speak English. Monkeys at the window. Have not seen elephants, tiggers, or camels, yet. </p>
<p>In the two weeks that he has been there, his field trips with other interns have resulted in collisions with a motorcycle (no damage to anyone but Bus Driver fined, 100 INR. and hitting a goat who failed to recognize size disparity between it and the bus. The goat hobbled off into the scrub.</p>
<p>India? I hadn't considered that either. Thanks for the thought, thisoldman. I will investigate that as well. I hope that your S is enjoying himself - what a great opportunity!!</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for your insight. That's one of the things I like about this forum; you have such great experience and offer a lot of perspective!!! I will continue to keep you updated on what's going on.</p>
<p>? MSFT? What's that????
If your DD wants to teach English, she can make money teaching in Korea or some of the Asian countries. (Harder to get into Europe, since they have lots of European Union folk to take those jobs.)</p>
<p>Let me tell you something. My study abroad was SUCH a bargain that my parents used the rest of the money that would've gone to my school tutition had I stayed to come and travel the country with my 17 y.o. brotheri n tote. If costs are a bit problematic and you, your H, and your S want to visit your D, try looking into cheaper programs. That would mean looking outside of the normal, popular areas such as Spain, France, UK, and Australia. Other countries will have lower costs of day-to-day living that will surprise your D how much that dollar can go for. Czech Republic, Russia, Egypt, Latin America, Israel, South Africa, India... all come to mind. Except for Latin America and Russia (maybe if you look hard), most won't require foreign language comptency for admission.</p>
<p>When my parents realized that I wouldn't be applying or going to London, they realize that this was really their only treat to go somewhere outside of their comfort zone. Were they nervous? Yes! Scared? Yes! Excited? Yes! They were nervous because they wouldn't be hearing a familiar language or eating familiar food. They were scared because of the security and being complete foreigners. But they were too excited to see me to let all the anxiety get in the way and by then I would have already settled in the country and know enough language to get around. Think of it as an exotic vacation.</p>
<p>Also another way to help reduce the cost is have your D to STAY in the country and travel around the country instead of jetting off to other countries on weekends, especially if it's on a smaller side and won't require 2+ nights as Ireland and UK would do. It can be ridiculously cheap. And a GREAT way to get to know the country physically- I can't tell you just HOW beautiful and geographically diverse Israel is because I stayed in the country and wend up and down. Not going out of Israel for 6 months was absolutely worth it.</p>
<p>Your D will want to definitely stock up on her favorite personal care stuff because they'll often be much more expensive overseas (I was fortunate to find a Clean N Clear cleanser in the Muslim quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem for $5 instead of the normal range in the $7-9). A lot of stuff that are on the shelves here are American brand- Pantene and Dove definitely travel around the world but not others :) Oh yeah, even toothpastes are a tad smaller and more expensive.</p>
<p>If your D winds up in Australia, she should definitely ask people who've studied there to find out costs of traveling to NZ- I've heard that quite a few do skydiving/bungee jumping in the mountains! :) And scuba diving!</p>
<p>Just some ideas that I'm throwing out from what I've learned in my personal experience.</p>
<p>Our D studied in Paris (at Nanterre) last year for the spring semester. The CUPA tuition was less than at her school, which paid CUPA and refunded the difference; that helped a bit with the Paris living expenses. She had a marvelous time; highly recommended, but French fluency is required.</p>
<p>If your daughter is still considering Australia (especially Sydney), program-strength-wise, I would say that the University of New South Wales is one of the best options to go with if your daughter is looking for a great fine arts program. In fact, if memory serves right, they have a specific campus or something like that devoted to the fine arts.</p>
<p>I can't give any details about exchange experiences, because I'm only starting on university myself this year. If you're looking for great quality, then those two universities are great choices; if money is a more pressing issue and it's too costly, then there might be cheaper alternatives either westward, interstate (Queensland, Victoria etc.) or overseas, as a number have said already. I hope your daughter ends up at a great place for exchange anyhow!</p>
<p>Thanks again to everyone for your input. Please keep the ideas coming!! I am learning a lot.</p>
<p>Had "the talk" with D about finances and presented what we thought were her study abroad/travel options. She was very mature about the whole thing; agreed completely about capping our contribution. Seems that she is making plans for a paid internship this semester or next with an advertising agency either in Boulder or Denver, and that a significant portion of those monies will be applied toward paying for part of her study abroad experience. Who knew that a 20-year old could be so reasonable?!?!?! </p>
<p>We are going to be in the investigatory stages of WHERE she might go now, as well as when (spring or summer). Thanks in part to the information you have given us, we have a lot of exploring to do!!</p>
<p>Poh125, we have looked at the University of New South Wales and it looks like a great choice. We loved Sydney so much when we were there - it is so vibrant! Another option is Macquarie University. Additionally, do you know anything about the University of Wollongong? The Colorado students that attended there raved about their experience. They actually liked being just outside of Sydney; sort of felt that it gave them more of the "real" Australia.</p>
<p>I love the contributors on this forum. You offer so much good advice!!</p>
<p>Also, if your daughter is planning to go to a place like London or Bristol, be aware that there are very cheap flights from these cities to other parts of Europe if you book early enough and if your dates are somewhat flexible. Companies like Flyme or Ryanair offer one-way fares for as low as 1 GBP pound plus taxes to as many as 180 different destinations in Europe. The trick is that you sometimes have to fly in and out of lesser known airports--meaning you need to figure in the extra cost (and time?)to get into the town from the airport--and you have to arrive on time at the airport (major rebooking fees apply for late arrivals).</p>
<p>Lastly, London is a lot cheaper if you don't stay in the inner areas. Yes, it's a hassle to take the underground everyday to get to the college--but if you want to go to a place like University College of London (in Bloomsbury) or Imperial College (down near High Street Kensington) the cost of lodging is exorbitant, but can be reduced greatly by living 5 or 10 miles out and taking the excellent subway system (underground system) London provides. Costs usually run about $8 a day (4 British pounds) for an all-day subway ticket that takes you anywhere within the Subway's Areas 1 or 2.</p>
<p>"we have looked at the University of New South Wales and it looks like a great choice. We loved Sydney so much when we were there - it is so vibrant! Another option is Macquarie University. Additionally, do you know anything about the University of Wollongong?"</p>
<p>I would strongly suggest that she avoid Macquarie.
Sydney Uni and UNSW are both good choices both academically and for the experience. Wollongong is rather ordinary and not worth travelling to Australia for.</p>
Poh125, we have looked at the University of New South Wales and it looks like a great choice. We loved Sydney so much when we were there - it is so vibrant! Another option is Macquarie University. Additionally, do you know anything about the University of Wollongong? The Colorado students that attended there raved about their experience. They actually liked being just outside of Sydney; sort of felt that it gave them more of the "real" Australia.
</p>
<p>Hmm...if she is looking more for a lifestyle experience as opposed to another educational experience, then Wollongong might be an option but it depends on what experience she wants. Does she want countryside, rural Australia? Does she want the city life of Sydney? Does she want to go to Bondi Beach every weekend? Does she want a challenging academic experience as well?</p>
<p>I wouldn't recommend Macquarie either. It used to be a good university but with the influx of international students it seems to have become more a commercial institution than anything else.</p>
<p>Above all, for academics, USyd and UNSW win hands down. If your daughter also wants the beaches, then either of those will be fine. If Google Earth is right, it's not so far to the beach. :p</p>
<p>D is in London right now at King's College. Does your school put their tuition toward the London tuition as Barnard does? We haven't found it very much more expensive, except for food, but if your D is like my D, she probably doesn't eat that much. D is cooking pasta and eating fried chicken and chips (she says it's cheaper than fish and chips.)</p>
<p>She is having a really good time and enjoying her classes. She attends King's (which is very close to the West End where a lot is happening, and the room is about $5,000 for the semester in US dollars, which is really not much if any more than Barnard; I haven't checked recently. Since the housing she selected has no meal plan it's cold cereal in the morning, cooking, some frugal meals out. It's pay as you go, and I don't it will be much more expensive than Barnard's meal plan (admittedly outrageous) even with the abysmal exchange rate.</p>
<p>Queen Mary's is a little outside the city and a bit cheaper, I think.</p>
<p>Of course, there is air fare.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.</p>
<p>One interesting thing is that D walks more in London than in NY where she takes the subway everywhere. I was quite worried about underground fares, but since she is so centrally located, she really hasn't spent much that way.</p>
<p>In a month she's been to: National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate, British Museum, a show, movies, antique book sellers (bought antique print for 2 pounds), Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden among many other sites without breaking the budget. The museums are free, which is quite a boon. She has met many British students as well as American students studying in London.</p>
<p>I think that spending a summer traveling abroad might be a wise solution (and a cheaper one, at that). I looked into doing the 'semester abroad' thing in the past but decided that it would not be a wise choice. I've been to Europe before; I've attended a few different colleges through out the US and I got to say that regardless of how exciting it would have been, being exposed to a new school-even for a semester-with all of it's policies and unfamiliar students in an unfamiliar town would be too much of a culture shock and I concluded that I would not be able to perform at a decent level. That's just me, though.</p>
<p>"On Sunday I went to Mysore with Leah, a fellow intern. Really, the only nice thing about Mysore, a several hour bus ride away, is the palace. It was very opulent, but photo taking wasnt allowed (so take a look at the previous link). Along the way, Leah failed to check her camera in at the booth and had to bribe an official about 25 cents to keep her camera in her purse while walking through the place."</p>
<p>** GO THROUGH THE SCHOOL ITSELF!!! If you want to go to the Uni Of Sydney contact them and ask them about how much it would be. **</p>
<p>I cannot stress this enough! I used a middle man to go to Japan I did have fun but would have saved tons had I just registered at the school in Japan and had them help me with housing and everything. That's what the international department at the schools are for. Use them and save your money.</p>
<p>CM2, I agree that the cost of study abroad at your student's college seems quite high but I assume that this will be offset by tuition/r/b savings at the current college. As another poster noted, some colleges have affiliated programs where there is no net tuition/fee increase so your student should check this out.</p>
<p>One word of warning that I can offer. Some colleges abroad which promote this have segregated living arrangements for these students. While you may be housed with students from around the world(a good thing), you will not get the social immersion benes for the country you are residing in(a bad thing). A friend's daughter found herself in such a situation and she was able to get reassigned to a flat with other UK students which she preferred.</p>
<p>Also, the dollar is down and Europe is very expensive. England, in particular is extremely expensive with a subway ride costing $8.00. However, there are some wonderful European countries not on the euro which are considerably cheaper. The Czech Republic, Poland, etc., are not. Poland's Krakow University is terrific, the artmosphere is wonderful and she can travel easily from there. I just returned, and can vouch that things are cheaper there, and really terrific places to go. And Prague has to be the most gorgeous city ever! (Yes, I've been to Paris, and like Prague much better.) Things to think about.</p>
<p>I haven't read the whole thread but at my daughters's college, credit for a study abroad semester is only given if the student goes through the college and pays the normal room, board, and tuition to the college. If the credit for the semester is not needed to complete degree requrements (e.g. the student could graduate in 7 semesters, without credit for the study abroad), the student can register directly with the study abroad program or overseas university and save the difference in price between the home school and the study abroad school. It basically amounts to taking a leave of absence from the home school for a semester.</p>