<p>Hello,
I'm planning out my study abroad for an academic year and have reached a stalemate. All of the programs will cost more or less the same amount, and I feel that they all have great cultural and fun offerings. They all have fantastic courses that would help with my degree. I've been to Prague already, but only for a couple of days, while I have never been to Spain or England.
If anyone has any advice or has been on a study abroad to one of these cities, I would love to hear your experience.
Other than that, if anyone has any experience dealing with Direct Enrollment, or one of the Study abroad programs like Panrimo (Madrid/Prague) or USAC (Brighton/London), I'd love to hear that as well. </p>
<p>One last thing, does anyone know if I could qualify for reduced fees or tuition as a European Union passport holder? </p>
<p>Not, I think, for an organised Study Abroad year which is organised by your home university.</p>
<p>For regular admission, you would need to have been resident in the EU for three years to get reduced fees in at least some countries (the UK for sure) - but I’m not certain with other countries.</p>
<p>I have just googled USAC, This seems like a reasonable program (note I am looking at the London and Brighton sections. I have never been to Madrid or Prague so I can’t really comment on them) where you will have some interaction with non-program students. I note that they offer organised trips to places like London. If you cannot get to London from Brighton by yourself (get on train, sit on train, get off when train gets to London) you probably don’t want to consider directly enrolling in a foreign university. If you need this level of hand-holding you definitely need to use a program.</p>
<p>If you enrol directly at a foreign university, you will in all likelihood be pretty much left to defend for yourself. You will probably have to find accommodation for yourself. You will have to get around, buy and cook your own food, enrol in and arrive at classes, find all the university buildings etc all by yourself. In most countries 18 year olds are seen as adults and treated as much more mature than they are treated in the US. You might really love this, but you also might hate it. You will almost certainly save money, but you will have to put in a lot of effort.</p>
<p>One thing you need to consider is, if you go to a country where you cannot speak the language, are you going there to learn it? If not, you will spend all your time with students on your program and will likely be exposed to very little of the native culture.</p>
<p>The next thing to think about are grades. I get PMs all the time from students asking what to do when study abroad has ruined their GPA. Too late. Looking at the USAC website, their information regarding grading is somewhat evasive. For example, in the UK usually you only need to get 40% to pass. 80% would be genius level. If you get such a grade, who is going to “interpret” this and turn it into a US GPA? You need to ask these questions. I strong advise not signing up for any program until you are provided with details in writing of how exactly your grades will be calculated. You will be surprised how many programs cannot provide this vital information.</p>
<p>You will not be considered an EU student for admissions purposes in the UK unless your parents have paid income tax (or been on unemployment welfare I think too) in an EU country for the last 3 years. It has nothing to do with nationality. I don’t know about Spain or Czech Republic, but generally you won’t get free education at the expense of the tax payer unless you have paid into the system.</p>
<p>Brighton is the outlier on your list. It is not a capital city, though it is very busy. A seaside resort where people go for vacations. You need to know it is a pretty alternative place. If you are a very conservative person, Brighton is not for you. </p>