Planning to study abroad.

Applying to College
1

<p>Im planning to study abroad like in france, london, italy or spain for a semester or 1yr this coming spring 2011. how do i start with it? i want a school that can transfer my credit once i go back here in US. im not in school right now, im just working. im 21 and i havent got into a college here in US since i got here. I graduated HS in philippines and as soon as i got here in US i worked right away. :/ but anyways, im planning my school and everything right now. and i will continue my college but i want to start it abroad first and i will take biology, chemistry anything that i need to take so i can get into nursing school when i get back in US.. i dont know where to start and how to start all this since all the programs that i see is expensive too and they need your school stuff blablabla. but im not in school right now though. i want to plan this early!!and im saving money right now about this. can anyone here guide me or help with this? </p>

<p>and also, i wanna learn more about European language and Mediterranean culture.</p>

2

<p>Sounds like your first step should be to enroll in a school in the US. Although it is possible that some schools here will accept transfer credits from abroad, its pretty unlikely since course credits usually don’t match up. If you really want to go abroad before going to school in the US, enroll at a school in the US that has a freshman study abroad program; they do exist - I had a friend from Middlebury who did it.</p>

<p>There are endless schools that have study abroad programs: NYU, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Northwestern, University of South Carolina, Santa Clara University, Texas A&M, University of Florida, and hundreds of others. Then there are independent programs as well, in case the school you choose doesn’t have an abroad program: CEA Study Abroad, Arcadia, International Students Abroad, CCIS Study Abroad, etc.</p>

<p>By picking enrolling in a US university first, and then going through its study abroad program, you are pretty much guaranteeing that your credits will be accepted.</p>

<p>[The</a> Study Abroad Blog](<a href=“The Study Abroad Blog - Nate Nault”>http://thestudyabroadblog.com/)</p>

3

<p>Why enroll in a US college just to study abroad? Why not just go to college in one of those countries?</p>

4

<p>yes i do really want to go abroad, but, the thing is, i dont know if i will get accepted in a university here in US, because i have been out of school for almost 4 years and i dont know if i will get accepted. now i have to like enroll in a community college and transfer in a university. if i cant study abroad, then the only thing i can do is just study in a comm. college first and transfer to NYU college of nursing. i dont know if there is any study abroad program in a community college. im losing hope about studying abroad. :frowning: i live in california right now, and will enroll in a comm. college somewhere in New york…
its so hard to do this all by myself, and since my parents cant really help me financially with everything. i just keep looking for some related questions here in college confidential and in yahoo answers. but im getting no luck at all. ugh! im so tired of working so much!i want to go to school so baaad!</p>

5

<p>I’m in a somewhat similar situation to you (I’m almost 19, have been working and out of school two years.). I’m biting the bullet and moving to the UK for school this fall - either St. Andrews, Trinity College Dublin, or King’s College London, if I get in. If you want to be abroad, just do it. You’ll find a way to make it work, and in the UK a bachelors degree only lasts three years (not in Scotland, however). Also, the percentage of mature students is way, way higher over there.</p>

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<p>You’ll offend people if you keep referring to TCD as being in ‘the UK’</p>

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<p>Hey IVY!:slight_smile: i know, moving to Uk for school is going to be awesome, if ever. but i dont know if i can pay for the tuition and accomodation because i heard that they wont let international students get financial aid or loans. as soon as i heard that, i was so disappointed because im really desperate to have a new life and new start of school. but how are you going to pay for your school though? is your parents going to pay for everything? if so, your lucky!</p>

<p>and also the reason why i wanna go to school anywhere in europe is because i want to work there too.</p>

8

<p>Hey kristinalovesu,</p>

<p>I jumped through hoops to get credits for study abroad. Here are some of my lessons:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You have to work backwards (well, for me its backwards) and start with YOUR university. It doesn’t matter what program you go on, or with what university, or with what school abroad – it will be YOUR home university that decides whether and for what you get credit.</p></li>
<li><p>When abroad, take courses that correspond as much as possible to the courses at your home school in the US – you want the same content, and (minimally) the same number of hours. Dumb example here, but imagine that at your home school there is no Biology 101 class, but there is a Molecular Biology class. If you studied Biology in Spain, your home university would give you credit for it because they don’t offer it themselves. However, if you took Molecular biology in Spain, you would likely get credit for it because your home university offers an equivalent course. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s a good guideline.</p></li>
<li><p>You cand be creative–I spent a year abroad studying language and culture, but I brought US university texts with me (management, marketing, and economics). I studied like a banshee, and when I got home, I took standardized tests offered by the College Board, and got 3 credits (not 4) for each of the courses I tested for. And because I took and passed the standardized tests, NOONE even asked me where I learned the material, they just gave me credit for it because I passed the tests via the College Board.</p></li>
<li><p>If you go to Spain, for example, for a year, and you have a high enough level of Spanish after 6 months, you can enrol directly at a Spanish university as a “guest student” or a “visiting” student and take regular classes. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>If you’re gonna be in a European country more than 3 months, you’ll need a visa, insurance (which you might be able to get cheap online via a European insurance company – insurance is much, much cheaper to buy in Europe).</p>

<p>Often times you’ll see that programs “recommend” X number of credits for their program. They “recommend” because only YOUR home school can say yes or no. Also, remember that Study Abroad Comanies cannot grant credit. They also cannot provide transcripts. The university in the host country provides the transcript, your home university evaluates it… So, the study abroad companies are more like middlemen/organizers.</p>

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<p>magellan, thanks for the info! </p>

<p>but how did you pay for your studying abroad and all that expenses?what country did you choose?</p>

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<p>the california community colleges [California</a> Colleges for International Education](<a href=“http://www.ccieworld.org/saprograms.php]California”>http://www.ccieworld.org/saprograms.php) covers the most programs although there are many more programs at other schools… all of them are transferable to the UCs and CSU systems… the community college programs are pretty decentralized compared to the other systems but are easy to enroll and have few admission requirements.</p>