I want to Study Abroad.

<p>I was wondering if any one has any suggestions as to location and program to study with. I'm a high school junior and would like to do either a semester as a senior or a year in college. Also, I most likely would like to go to Europe, but if anyone had a great time elsewhere, let me know.</p>

<p>It really depends on whether you're interested in learning a foreign language or not. If you are, then you have to figure out what language you want to learn. For me, that was the most fun of studying abroad (in Japan), but everyone is different. You have to figure out what you're trying to get out of the experience, then you can narrow down the country. Only then do you worry about the program. That is how I would do it.</p>

<p>well, as someone said (and as you would expect), most study abroad programs require you to know the foreign language. there are quite a few exceptions though:</p>

<p>1) obviously if you go to an English-speaking country (common choices include the UK, Australia, and New Zealand), you're fine.
2) there are two programs for math majors that don't require you to know a foreign language - "Budapest Semesters in Mathematics" and "Math in Moscow". both have a good reputation.
3) there is a program in Sweden, which I believe is focused on international relations, that doesn't require you to know Swedish.
4) you could study at an English-speaking school abroad (for instance, the American University in Paris).</p>

<p>anyway, here are a few of my suggestions. there is a program in France run by Swarthmore College (go Swat!) located at Grenoble. I know quite a few people who went and they loved it. there's another program run by Hamilton College in Madrid, which seems to be popular. Oxford/Cambridge are popular choices, but you need a 3.5 GPA (bottom line) and they're very competitive.</p>

<p>personally, I'm a math major, so I'm probably going to Budapest next year.</p>

<p>KK,</p>

<p>First, I'd like to point out that tons of programs do not require great language skills for attendance.</p>

<p>Second, as others have implied, it's tough to recommend a program without knowing loads more about your interests. As a basic premise, though, you can narrow down programs based upon how outgoing you are and how great a cultural challenge interests you. </p>

<p>For example, it will be really easy to adapt to programs in developed, anglophone nations, but it won't be as rewarding to someone who wants to really get out there and learn self-sufficiency, language, etc. In my opinion, European programs will generally be a step more challenging, then developed Asia, then South America and less developed south and east Asian programs</p>