<p>Another cheer for p56’s good news about her H.</p>
<p>Some of you know that my D was in the emergency room Monday night as well - she doesn’t like how dramatic it sounds, but she was hit by a bus (and she was on foot - a battle you’re not likely to win). She is very lucky to have only bumps and bruises, three stitches, and lost glasses. My H flew out to see her (my fiercely independent D insisted that he not come, we had to explain that he was coming because he needed to come, not because she needed him) and says she is doing fine, though sore.</p>
<p>As for study abroad, S is not interested. My D did a summer in Morocco between freshman and sophomore years, and it involved about 8 hours a day in class, and a fair amount of homework. Beginning Arabic is VERY difficult, even for my language gifted D. She was able to travel on weekends but I don’t think there was any partying to speak of. She did a semester abroad in Paris during her junior year. She spent a lot of time on line reviewing programs as she wanted one that was reasonably serious, but would leave time to travel. She insisted that the courses and the syllabi be available so that she could assess the seriousness. She also wanted to be able to take at least one class at the Sorbonne as a regular student (which she did). And she wanted a homestay because she wanted to live with French people and not in a dorm with American students. She thought the program was solid in terms of the amount of work - she took art and architecture courses because they offered a lot of opportunity to get out and see things, she took a comparative literature course at the Sorbonne, and she had plenty of time to travel on weekends and keep up with the work. We considered traveling on weekends to be part of the educational experience and were all for that. But even with all that pre-research, she found not much in common with the other students. She found one other young woman who wanted to try to speak primarily French and to travel, and they did a lot of weekend travel together. But she felt that a lot of the other students made much of the opportunity to drink legally under the age of 21, and that the girls spent a lot of time focused on their wardrobes. So it’s all there - you have to figure out what works for you and make it happen. My two cents.</p>
<p>Here’s my two cents on study abroad … gross generalizations.</p>
<p>I don’t get the sense that the trip ds went on last semester was a big party time like other trips my friends’ kids have taken. Drinking age was 18, so I’m sure there was drinking involved, but here’s what I think made it different: Ds’s trip was run by a consortium to which his college belonged, not the college itself. And the reason I think that made a difference is that he knew no one on this trip and was the only kid from his school. My friends’ kids, however, went on a school-sponsored trip with some of their besties, so it had the feel of a vacation from the get-go, kwim? Hanging with your friends in some exotic locale – who wouldn’t love that??? Also, the set-up of the program wasn’t just live in a dorm together for weeks or months; his program involved lots of travel, some roughing it and a homestay. There just wasn’t the same opportunity to get settled for months in one place and use that as homebase for partying and travel. I have a good friend whose dh works at a uni and as a result has spent two years in different locales abroad as kind of the adults in charge at one of those programs. The school owns properties all over the world. Sounds like a nightmare, with trips to the ER from alcohol poisoning, etc.</p>
<p>jc, I have a good friend whose dd is at your dd’s school. She is abroad right now. She purposely didn’t pick a school-sponsored program because she didn’t want that experience – a bunch of besties on vacay, drinking the days away. She has opted for a program that isn’t school sponsored that will enable her to eventually live with a family and attend a local university taking classes in that language – after six weeks of a language-intensive program where she will live in a dorm setting, but, again, not with kids from her school but instead kids from all over.</p>
<p>No one is naive enough to think that no partying is going on on all these trips, but I think some kinds of trips lend themselves to more of that.</p>
<p>P56 and Alice - Glad the patients are doing well. </p>
<p>I love reading the study abroad feedback. I especially like the University of Edinburgh info (thanks - twinmama) - it is DS’s tenative choice for next spring.</p>
<p>Alice, I cannot believe your D was hit by the proverbial bus - well, the ACTUAL bus. Thank heavens she is ok.</p>
<p>Study abroad is what you make it. S spent a semester in Barcelona, which is known as a night-life kinda place, but he’s not a “club” kinda guy. He felt like a lot of the kids in the program were there mainly to party. There were some kids from large universities who were horrified that class sizes were 20 - 25 and they had to show up or the professor would know they weren’t there! S went to a small LAC and was used to going to class. He went to class, did the work and got all A’s, but learned the most from the traveling he did nearly every weekend. (London, Munich, Amsterdam, Grenada, Valencia, Rome, Athens, Switzerland, Prague…) I don’t think the point of going to Europe for a semester is to sit in the classroom or library - you can do that at home. I think the point of going abroad is to get out, see the sights, meet the people and experience the culture. That shouldn’t mean staggering home in a drunken stupor every night though.</p>
<p>D’s winter term study abroad was more like a 3 week guided tour. They did experience some night life, but their days were full of touring and discussions, and they were tired at the end of the day. They were with the professors most of the time, so they learned whether they wanted to or not!</p>
<p>DIL (native Brit, graduated from UEdinburgh last year) says that lots of folks don’t go to class. Twinmama is right that students are much more left to their own devices. Just be warned that there is a reason there’s such a long reading period at the end of the semester!!! DIL also says that drinking is not such a hyped-up deal there as it is for American college students. Not everyone does it there, and most folks don’t go out and get schnockered at every opportunity. There are pubs on campus at Edinburgh. </p>
<p>S2 was in Moscow last summer. Did a home stay, went to a program with students from all over the US. Went out with classmates periodically, but found the solo bar scene boring and expensive. Did not have money for clubbing. OTOH, he said dinner, a drink and the willingness to start conversations resulted in his best experiences there – spent a few evenings talking to profs, tech guys, etc. and got a much better sense of what made folks tick. They were also happy to talk to him, as there are not many young American men traveling in Ukraine or Latvia.</p>
<p>D’s summer study abroad was very work intensive. Several hours of class every morning, lots of class-related trips in the afternoons, and tons of reading. She still had an amazing time, but I know she wished that she would have had a little more time to explore the country with her friends from the program. Oh, and this was one of her school’s study abroad programs.</p>
<p>Alice… why wasn’t there a post in the cafe in the “Calls you don’t want to receive” thread? …" Mommm I was hit by a bus" has to be up there!</p>
<p>My DD enjoyed her study abroad in Paris. She worked hard and more or less enjoyed her homestay parent. A friend of hers got a horrible home though and wasn’t happy. They had lots of time to travel, but DD and friend got annoyed at the party crowd who did not try to speak french all the time. It was much of a mixed bag for her because she had traveled before although it did improve her french.</p>
<p>My DS did Budapest Semesters in Math. Loved it. He is the one that grew from the abroad experience, even though everything was taught in English. He did not learn or try to learn Hungarian. He shared an apartment with 3 boys who were much more recluses than he is which was sort of sad. But he made other friends. He loved the city. We were surprised at the complete “hands off” approach though from the school. We thought they would have a few more “group” events and more (or SOME) organized activities. Students were on their own to organize. He also went to Edinburgh and Dublin to visit friends in school there. He is the one we saw the big change for going on his own. And he had said he NEVER would do a study abroad, so we are really glad he did this one (and liked it!). He is hoping to go back this summer to compete in some math competition, but he doesn’t know yet if he will be chosen. He will likely go if he is picked.</p>
<p>So YMMV for study abroad based on the program and the kid.</p>
<p>Happy Valentine’s Day! Even if you don’t have a “special someone” you should go out and do something special for someone…or a lot of someones! :)</p>
<p>Close call that, getting hit by a bus. Now your D can authoritatively say, “I felt like I was hit by a bus.” :/</p>
<p>S had a good job interview yesterday. Straightforward, no weird psychological questions! The job would be close by, so he’d be living at home AGAIN this summer. How can I get this kid out of the house? </p>
<p>DH is in NYC today, but he’s bringing back fancy chocolates from a really nice store tonight. He already told me so I won’t be in a huff with him not here on Valentine’s Day. :)</p>
<p>Oh, and my watery, infected eye is just about cleared up. The skin under it is still wrinkled & chapped, however. Should be ok by the wedding on Sunday…I hope!</p>
<p>Thanks for the coffee, IL. It’s still good, even if it isn’t Nicks. It’s the thought that counts, right?</p>
<p>alicew: I’m still trying to wrap my head around your D literally getting hit by a bus. I’m SO glad she is OK & your DH was able to check on her. </p>
<p>P56: I’m glad to hear that your DH is okay & has been sprung from the hospital. There have been entirely too many ER visits from our 2014ers in the past week!
Wonderful advice - I will do just that. And congratulations/mazeltov on Sunday’s wedding. I’m glad your infected eye should be cleared up for the big day.</p>
<p>No experience with study abroad by either S1 or S1. I wish they had taken advantage of this. I studied abroad when I was in college, but that was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.</p>
<p>It’s interesting hearing the study abroad updates. S wasn’t interested in study abroad, but HS’13 D is more likely to want to study abroad.</p>
<p>D has expressed an interest in studying abroad in Australia - for some strange reason she has been obsessed with Australia since watching Finding Nemo. But I think she would be better off studying in Italy, since she has taken Italian in HS, and it would be a great way to improve her language skills. Plus, what could be better than spending a semester in Italy? But D says that she has been to Italy before (twice), but never to Australia.</p>
The job would be close by, so he’d be living at home AGAIN this summer. How can I get this kid out of the house? 
</p>
It’s the thought that counts, right?</p>