<p>Hello all. :) I have a question about studying abroad. I apologize in advance if it's silly or obvious, but I'm trying to figure out if this is something that's feasible or wise for me to do.</p>
<p>I, personally, relish the idea of studying abroad. I love learning new languages and experiencing different cultures and, honestly, going abroad is one of the college opportunities I'm most looking forward to. However, my prospective major (speech and hearing sciences / speech pathology) isn't exactly as tied-in to possible study abroad programs as, say, international relations/studies or a language major.</p>
<p>Does having an unrelated major (especially one with quite a few requirements) preclude me from studying abroad? If not, is it unwise for me to sacrifice an academic semester/year to something not directly linked with my academic "plan?"</p>
<p>Basically, I'm trying to be pragmatic but I also think that college should be about trying new things. This is something I really, really want to do -- but I don't want to screw myself over academically in the process. Thoughts? Opinions? Insight? Am I just overthinking all of this?</p>
<p>Most majors--at least the ones I've looked at--only require 12-16 courses. When you have at least 32 course slots to choose from (8 semesters over 4 years, with 4 classes per semester; assuming, of course, you don't overload), it seems relatively easy to fit in a semester or even a year of study abroad.</p>
<p>Do you want to go abroad to learn a language (e.g. "intensive French in France")
or do you speak a language well enough to study in it
or do you want to study abroad in an English-speaking country?</p>
<p>Option 1 would in fact "interrupt" your regular college career but it is certainly a worthwhile experience. Options 2 and 3 don't need to be unrelated to your major - why not study a semester of speech pathology in France or England?</p>
<p>My daughter is a science major and premed. Very tight getting everything in in 4 years anyway. She wants to do study abroad and I think it is a great idea (ok I am jealous as can be :) ). There is no way she can probably graduate in 4 years if she does a semester abroad but we are fine with her taking a bit longer in order to have that experience. How the classes work depends a lot on where you go and what classes are available. Her current thinking is either Australia (in which case I may stow away) where she would do mostly science classes that would count for her major or Ireland where she would do English Lit toward an English minor. Early days yet.</p>
<p>If you get the opportunity you should go for it.</p>
<p>If you start your major early and plan well, you should be able to go abroad and still fulfill all your major requirements (though how easy this may be depends a lot on your school's scheduling and things like that). If you end up needing credits towards your major while you are abroad, you might be more limited as to where you could go. But you should be able to pull it off.</p>
<p>Do it! Do it! Do it! This is the last time in most people's lives when they'll have the chance to spend a few months in another country and really get a feel of the local culture, as opposed to a few much more expensive weeks on vacation. Not only that, there are a lot of opportunities as a college student (staying with a host family, for example) that will be much more difficult or impossible when you're older and have a spouse and possibly a family of your own.</p>
<p>As zamzam points out, most majors outside of something like engineering do not dictate virtually every course you will take. You'll have some breadth and distribution requirements. So you can figure out a plan where you take these types of classes while abroad so you both stay on track to graduate and get the overseas experience.</p>
<p>People in almost any major can and do study abroad. Given your enthusiasm for it, this is something you just shouldn't compromise on. I'm not sure if you're already a HS senior, but if not take some time to look into the program at schools you are considering. Some schools do a better job of integrating study abroad in so that the credit transfers easily and they have a center of people experienced in advising people on how to do it.</p>