<p>So I'm a sophomore applying to either spend this fall or all of my junior year abroad in the UK. Anyway, the two schools I'm applying to there are the University of Edinburgh and the University of Manchester. I've got the option to go for just the fall or stay the whole year. I'd been leaning toward the fall program but recently I've been considering the year as well.</p>
<p>My issues with the year program are:</p>
<p>a) A year is a hell of a long time to be gone, I feel like I'd miss so much back here at school?
b) Staying for a year would probably force me to take a 5th year to graduate </p>
<p>Issues with the semester program:</p>
<p>a) Finding a place to live with back here for just two quarters with people I actually want to live with might be an issue.
b) Can't go to Edinburgh for only a semester.
c) Is a semester really long enough (Mid Sept to Dec?)</p>
<p>Anyone that's gone for a semester and wish they stayed for the year or went for the year and wished they only did the semester? Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>I'm at Edinburgh for a single semester right now...</p>
<p>I'm still at the beginning of my semester, but I wish i could stay for a year. It's really amazing here.</p>
<p>I studied abroad for only a semester.... and regretted it greatly. I should have gone for a year. Just about everyone I've ever talked to about the subject feels the same way. Spending a few months abroad is just too little. Go for a year unless you have a compelling reason to get back to the States more quickly than that.</p>
<p>I'm currently studying abroad for a year and so happy I made that decision - only now am I getting really comfortable using a different language and finally meeting some people. It is obviously not without hardships, but I feel like I'm learning so much that I couldn't get out of my college in the US, even though I think the university education is better at home. And I do miss my college a lot, but it's something I've decided to simply have to deal with and it was a trade-off I was willing to make. For me, I straight up asked myself, will you regret it if you don't stay a year?, and I knew the answer would be yes. A semester will give you a good overview of living in another country, but I'm not sure if you really get a deeper experience and feel well adjusted unless you go for a year. Also, it depends what you want out of the program - for me, learning more of the language was really important, and for that I think you really need a year, but again, for a good overview, a semester will still be educational. Realize, though, that there are other types of programs for after graduation - like the Fulbright - which allows you to stay for a year if you might want to just do a semester now.</p>