<p>Hello! I'm considering my options for studying abroad next spring. I want to go to the UK, but I'm not sure whether I should go as an exchange student through my university or through a study abroad program provider. Going on my own is a lot cheaper, but my only concern is that it would be more difficult to make friends and I'm already not exactly a social butterfly. However, I feel like if I go with a program I will be paying more money and just spending all of my time with Americans and not really immersing myself in the culture. Am I right to be concerned about either of these things or is it just me worrying too much? I would like to hear what you think as to which type of study abroad experience is better.</p>
<p>My D is a social butterfly and spoke the language of the country where she studied abroad independently. She is someone who is usually good at making lemonade when life hands her lemons. And she had a pretty rough time of it. Finding housing was particularly challenging from overseas. There were a lot of logistical challenges with registering for classes, transferring the credits, etc. She ended up in a studio apartment away from campus, which wasn’t a very good living arrangement.</p>
<p>Different study abroad programs have different types of arrangements. Some are in smaller towns or cities, some have housing that is mixed with local students and some isn’t. I do think you can immerse yourself fairly well in your free time in the UK if you choose to (no language barrier, you can go to the pub or meet people in classes, etc.). You do probably want a program where you take classes with UK students, not just US ones.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you go to your school’s study abroad office and ask them about it. Tell them you hope to find an experience where your classes are with students from the country you are studying in, and it would also be great if the housing was as well. See what they say. You might not end up in the UK… 
After having a kid study independently (in a country where college is essentially free), I would honestly say that the monetary savings weren’t worth it because the logistical hassles were very significant. My D would agree – she would say her friends who went on programs almost all had better experiences than she did.</p>
<p>I went through my university and I actually did not have a problem making friends. We are in charge of our own flight but I had no trouble meeting people at all both from England and other SA students. Orientation is usually required so you get to really bond with other American students. At the uni, there are TONS of chances to join clubs and whatnot to meet natives. I don’t think either the program or the school will give you more of a chance to hang out with Americans as long as you are enrolled in a university and put the time/effort to socialize in your UK classes and join clubs. I went to England, and the pub culture there is very open and so is the club scene. It’s a great place to just meet people and socialize but the culture itself seems to be very keen on social drinking… BUT if you’re into it, seriously /great/ way to meet people.</p>
<p>I’m a transfer student at a new university (different from above mentioned uni) and my current school’s SA program is managed by an actual individual study abroad program that manages some other schools as well. Even though I have not personally been abroad through this yet, my friends who have told me they had no problem making friends. You’re in charge of your own ticket here, but you have the option to meet at destination A for a group flight to your final destination. There, you can meet/talk with other students in your position. </p>
<p>I’d probably prefer working with your university due to credits. Would the individual SA provider help with credits? I think that’s what you should be worried about most – the credits not transferring and whatnot. Even though studying through your uni might be pricier, it’d probably suck even more if the credits you needed did not transfer completely (which in the long-run = more money right?)</p>
<p>I arranged my own study abroad, in Germany, and would recommend doing it that way if you think you can manage it. Logistical difficulties depend on the country, of course, but I had no trouble finding housing or anything else, and I barely spoke the language in the beginning. Solving real problems was part of the learning experience. </p>
<p>Also, I met the American students there right away and became very friendly with them, but hung out more with Germans and foreigners. But then, I am very extroverted.</p>
<p>The thing that really sold me on it was that I was taking the same classes as they were, at a cost of only $60 registration fee, whereas they paid full tuition in their own colleges. I concluded that I did the right thing, even with the extra stress.</p>
<p>You should definitely do it yourself, especially if (like most study abroaders) you want to boast afterwards about “living abroad”. You’re not really living somewhere if you have it all done for you, for a fee, through your home country. Might as well live in a hotel.</p>
<p>Housing used to be a problem, but these days it’s much easier with things like craigslist and gumtree in the UK.</p>
<p>Don’t think my D had any interest in boasting about “living abroad”. She just wanted to spend a semester in this specific country. I doubt most study abroad students care about that (seems like just an ego trip to me, trying to make yourself sound cool or something). It doesn’t seem like this should be a consideration for the OP – what other people think about your experience is much less important than doing what you need to in order to have a good experience AND have your credits transfer back. Also, the OP doesn’t sound like an extrovert – so what may have seemed like fun to you to might not be a pleasant experience at all for the OP.</p>
<p>Housing may be easier that it used to be, but you still have to do things like place deposits from the US (requiring wiring funds, for example). At least the UK is an English speaking country – it is much harder to get people to accept you as a roommate via a site like Craigslist if you don’t speak the native language. Add the hassle of the transfer of the deposit, and a lot of people won’t want to deal with it. I certainly was not going to allow my 19 year old daughter to go off to a foreign university with no housing arranged, especially since the University provided no assistance at all on this except a few website names. Fortunately, after responding to almost 60 (yes, 60) online ads for roommates she found someone who was willing to rent to her. But it was super time consuming and stressful.</p>
<p>I studied abroad independently in the UK (Cardiff, which I absolutely loved) and it definitely had it’s ups and downs. I had one class with other American students who were on a program together so while I can only speak to my experience as someone who went solo I got a glimpse of what the program students experienced. </p>
<p>Firstly, I got to live in university accommodation with 4 british students and one french student and I really enjoyed that. The Americans on the program all lived in a different accommodation, though provided by the university, together, which I’m sure they enjoyed just as much but it just depends on what you’re looking for. </p>
<p>In terms of friends I did become friends with my flatmates but my closest friend while abroad was a Canadian I met at an international student event. I would think most universities have these so that’s a way to make friends! All the other American’s tended to just hang out with only each other. It was hard at first, i’ll admit, because I was in my junior year of college and all my flatmates were in their first year so there was a bit of a difference there. Also, locals aren’t too keen to spend money on traveling their own country so it did take time to find travel buddies. I ended up doing some solo traveling which I enjoyed because when I’m with people I’m usually more concerned that they are having a good time than if I am so this way I got to do everything I wanted to do. I never really felt unsafe and it was easy to meet other solo travelers in hostels and whatnot.</p>
<p>Some times I think I would have had a more typical study abroad experience if I had gone with a program but I enjoyed my time. I felt, by the end of it, that I really belonged in the city and knew it well. It really depends on your preference and what you make of it when you get there. There will be tough times but there will be so many good times and amazing things you’ll get to see to outweigh them. I’m sure you’ll love it no matter what you decide to do. Good luck!</p>