I have serious wanderlust, maybe more so than some incoming freshmen. I haven’t picked a program yet, but I’d like to take a week or two abroad the summer after freshman year to experiment a little and break myself into travel and adaption. I am seriously considering joining the Peace Corps and pursuing an international career, so this first round could be anything, especially since it’s short, and as a freshman, I’m just starting out. I’ve considered Loop Abroad (Thailand) to satisfy my veterinary side-passion and curiosity while I still can. Students spend one week at a dog rescue and one week at an elephant rescue. Or, if I decide to pick up Spanish again second semester, I can do that, too. I don’t know. This is the most flexible one yet, really.
The summer following sophomore year–and this is the only abroad program I’m certain of, as my classes are already building up to it–I will be spending 6 weeks in Oslo, Norway. I’ve wanted to study there since I was little, and I’m beginning Norwegian in the fall. The program doesnt require but advises some Norwegian experience. I’m getting a minor in Scandinavian Studies (back to the international thing). I could spend a whole semester in Norway, but since this is a minor, not a major, I should maybe not?
My first major is English, and my school offers ample room for a second major. I haven’t decided between History and Journalism yet. Journalism is probably more practical, but who knows where life will take me. If I wind up in Law, it ultimately won’t matter. Anyway, my junior year, when my major will be taking over my studies, I’ve been considering a semester program in Australia that will allow me to meet all requirements and not set myself back. Plus, Australia! My vet side comes back in with the desire to see the wildlife there. But this is the one I’m most scared of doing.
Aside from money (that’s another issue I’m looking into), what am I risking by studying abroad three times? The summer programs probably won’t interfere with anything, but I’m joining the school paper and the equestrian team. Do I relinquish all chances of getting an office if I miss a semester? I was FFA president in high school (among lesser offices in other clubs), so the drive to get leadership positions is embedded within me. Just how much do you miss studying abroad? How do you catch up?
Thank you!
So, to start with the rainy part of my post:
is a holiday, not ‘study abroad’. I am sure that you will have a great time, and that it will be personally meaningful, but even though you will give animals baths, and feed them and learn a bit about taking care of them, it is a holiday.
A ‘week or two’ of holiday is perfectly fine, and if traveling is unfamiliar to you, going with a program is a good way to get your feet wet. But it won’t be more than a holiday until you are staying someplace somewhat independently, for an extended period of time, in which you have to do regular, everyday work.
To the sunny part:
Every path opens some paths and limits others. If you are gone multiple semesters you are less likely to end up as Editor in Chief- but if you send in articles from all your terms away you will have some great by-lines that will build your writing sample portfolio. I know somebody who is in her final year, and has spent a semester each in Spain, Argentina and DC, and has finished all her requirements. She will be on her home campus this year, taking all those courses that everybody tells you not to miss. It certainly took work and planning on her part- and they expect you to take responsibility for doing that on your own- but it has been a wonderful set of experiences.
@CollegeMom0107 I guess a couple weeks in Thailand would be a bit of a vacation… I’ve been thinking this since looking into it more. I would rule it out, but my school does have valid “immersion” short-term study abroad programs. If I only take one semester abroad (and my other one or two are in the summer), will that ruin chances of being Editor-in-Cheif, you think? That actually is a goal of mine, so I find it funny you mentioned it
I could still send in articles abouty abroad experience from the sister school, so it’s not like I’d drop it. The thing with that is, though, if I spend a semester in Australia as a junior, I can’t have an office that year. And some sort of office should pre-date editor-in-chief. Maybe switch Australia and Norway around?
Because you know that you want to study abroad it is worth thinking a little of this through now- but don’t get lost in the weeds yet. You haven’t even started college yet, and to paraphrase our former vice-president, you don’t know what you don’t know yet.
The exact programs and sequence will unfold as you make lots of choices over the next 2 years. The student that I cited above did not know where or when she was going to study abroad, just that she wanted to do it. I can all but guarantee that some significant part of your current planning will be different in just 6 months from now- never mind in 3 years. Treat this as window shopping or day dreaming, not pinning down a definite plan 
One of the cons - particularly in doing it this way - is lack of immersion in a specific culture.
One of the best parts of study abroad is earning a lot about how other people live and really immersing yourself deeply in another culture. It’s often said that for a semester abroad, just at the point when you start to feel really comfortable and everything isn’t brand-new anymore - facilitating real, deeper learning - you have to go home. I studied in the Netherlands for a semester and I wholeheartedly agree with that. I had just started to really know my way around Amsterdam, feel comfortable with different cultural practices, knew a couple of useful Dutch phrases, and was beginning to catch some spoken Dutch - and it was May and I had to go back home.
So if you are really interested in Scandinavian studies and perfecting your Norwegian, you may find that you are interested in spending an entire year in Norway.
Note two: If you know that you want to do extensive study abroad, why select a second major at all? You can take a couple of classes in history and/or journalism without majoring in it, and that means you’re not beholden to completing the requirements. That gives you more flexibility with studying abroad and potentially changing your plans.
You definitely do risk leadership in clubs if you study abroad repeatedly. It sounds like most of your abroad options will be pursued in the summer, with only one semester during term-time. That shouldn’t disrupt plans too much. However, if you spend a semester in Australia and a semester in Norway during your junior year, I think you can count out being president of anything senior year unless there are extraordinary circumstances. Most elections for senior year positions happen towards the end of junior year, and you wouldn’t be present to run for things. However, I would personally argue that studying abroad is way better than being president of something (although EIC may be great for journalism careers).
I did the 2 week Loop Abroad college vet program this past summer and it was seriously the best experience of my life! I highly recommend it! I can tell you from experience that it is not a vacation of any sorts. We learned A LOT! they have a workbook and a check list of all the skills you need to master before passing the course, things like drawing blood, placing an IV catheter, assisting with surgery. These are things some of my friends in vet school havent even done yet. Saying this they do give you a great cultural experience as well, we went zip lining and to local markets, temples etc. I think some of their other programs have more of a relaxed feel if thats what your looking for, but they are defiantly an educational tour company and teach their students as much as they can. I originally looked into it because a family friend who is on a vet school’s admissions committee said that vet schools really look for something that makes a student stand out and the best way to do that is to travel with a reputable company. It did cost a lot of money but I guess you get what you pay for and I think it was worth every cent.