<p>Hey everyone, I have been looking forward to studying abroad for a long time now, however, I have a rather complicated set of circumstances which is making it difficult for me to find an appropriate program. For starters, I am an English Education major, which is a very rigid course of study--I basically have no electives, and I can't afford to stay at college an extra semester, so I need to make sure the abroad program I select has lots of comp/lit courses to select. (Due to Department of Education regulations, it's going to be hard to find approved Ed. courses abroad, so I will stick to fulfilling English major rquirements). I am open to traveling to the UK or Ireland, however, my dream has always been to study abroad in a non-English speaking nation so I can develop my skills in a foreign language. The catch is that if I take French lit courses, they won't count toward my English major. I have been told, however, that literature-in-translation courses will fulfill my English requirements, so that is a viable option. This restricts me to programs that operate solely (or primarily) in English. </p>
<p>The next hurdle is that I have to locate a short-term program. As I have two jobs at home, I can't expect to be in Europe from January through June and still have my positions when I return. My employers can accommodate my absence for about a month, so I am looking for programs that operate in the so-called Swedish model: you take one or two courses at a time, and they last for approximately a month. That way, I can be abroad for a month (while concurrently taking a couple of online courses from my university to stay on track), and work the rest of the semester/complete my online classes. If my employers determine they can survive without me for longer than a month, then I will gladly extend my stay. Summer programs aren't really an option, as they are an extra cost I will have to incur on top of my fall/spring studies. I need an inexpensive program--my home university costs about $9,000 semester, and it won't be feasible for me to afford much beyond that. I am willing to forgo the bells-and-whistles (e.g. while it'd be great to have the support of a program like CIEE and enjoy the socialization with other international students, I realize I may have to directly enroll in a foreign university). </p>
<p>So far, the best program I have found is at the University of Lund in Sweden: I can enroll in one course for a month, and work on my Swedish skills. The courses are all in English, and there are plenty of lit offerings. Lund has a high percentage of international students, so they seem to be very accommodating. If you can think of any programs or universities that will satisfy my requirements (I'm willing to go anywhere!) your help is much appreciated.</p>