Study Abroad frustration over hype and cost

<p>S just finished a semester in London. It cost considerably more than it would have cost him to stay at his school here for the semester, but that was largely because of the extensive traveling he did while over there. IMHO, there’s no point if you have to sit in your dorm or apartment all semester. He helped to pay from his summer job money, but we funded the bulk of it. I hope we can do the same for our D in a couple of years. </p>

<p>I suggest telling your D she needs to work and save so she can pay as much as possible of the traveling and out of pocket expenses herself.</p>

<p>ETA: S is a philosophy major.</p>

<p>I want to add to those who say study abroad is not a glorified vacation. Our DS studied last spring semester in Rome at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies. He is a classics/linguistics double major. He definitely worked hard but he will tell you that it was the best semester he’s had while in school. It was a small, intense program and it was by selective admission. It was slightly more expensive than a semester here but definitely worth it. We told him and our younger child that studying abroad was fine but the courses had to move them towards their degrees.</p>

<p>I agree with OP that so many colleges make a huge ordeal about study abroad.</p>

<p>To add a different perspective, I did not do study abroad, but both of my Ds had the option to do so. One had absolutely no interest (loved her campus life and didn’t want to miss a semester there), the other felt the same but also wanted to try it, so did a summer semester. Honestly, she was underwhelmed with all of it and said she wished she had come home instead. (Mostly because she didn’t like her host family- they turned out to be smokers and served bad food - she said mostly potatoes at every meal, which D doesn’t like; also the home was far from where other students were staying so the group was not cohesive as a whole).</p>

<p>We were not FA eligible and it was very expensive: $10K+. I felt I could have taken the entire family on a trip there for the same or less cost.</p>

<p>Bay - I appreciate your perspective. My question is if you had another child to now ferry through the process, knowing what you do, would you advise your student to avoid schools with study abroad programs even if they met their criteria otherwise, or would you simply remind them of their siblings experience and tell them the school seems like a good choice but the study abroad may not be such a great experience and it wouldn’t be something you’d support?</p>

<p>If one was to cross off every uni that had a study abroad program, (IMO) their choices would be far more limited</p>

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<p>Maybe an issue in some locations, but certainly not for any major city like London or Paris or Berlin. </p>

<p>Perceptions of program rigor can vary immensely from student to student. D1 found her coursework easy, while others in her program said the workload was immense. When D2 is ready to do study abroad, we’ll have a better sense of how to help her check out programs.</p>

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<p>Indeed. Walking around a city is always free and for the price of one coffee you can sit for hours at most cafes. That’s what I did at a HS student near Pris. Took a very cheap train into the city and walked and walked and walked, then when tired, spent the buck or two for a coffee and rested up to walk some more.</p>

<p>Presumably if one is doing a study abroad program at a college, the college has things to do on campus and even other students to do things with.</p>

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<p>I would not advise my 3rd to avoid such schools. Rather, I feel that it is somewhat irrelevant that many students at a given college might be doing study abroad. Granted, this is because I now know that there will students who have no interest and won’t go (like D#1), and because I know study abroad isn’t always the amazing experience it is cracked up to be (like D#2).</p>

<p>If my kid wanted to do study abroad and we couldn’t afford it, I would just tell him we cannot afford it so he will need to figure out a way to get it paid for if he wants to go. But that is the same way we would handle anything my kids want that we deem unaffordable.</p>

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<p>Interestingly enough, Bay’s post could be an addendum to my previous post. I had NO interest in STUDYING abroad due to a combination of not wanting to lose a semester at my school, and having had plenty of opportunities to travel abroad extensively before college. I did, however, spend quite a bit of time during the summers and “freelanced” at European schools during the summers for research purposes. My younger sister was more interested in organized study abroad but ended not going after scratching the surface of the programs. And the programs included some of the “top” programs, including campuses ran by her school. </p>

<p>I also made her watch this movie: [L’Auberge</a> Espagnole - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L’Auberge_Espagnole]L’Auberge”>L'Auberge espagnole - Wikipedia), and it took quite a bit of the luster of spending months in “super attractive” Barcelona! </p>

<p>Again, there is no way to generalize, and I do not doubt that some found the experience exhilarating and well worth the investment. But, little will make me change my mind about the programs being massively overrated. Unless one can go without losing much of the local experience at his or her school AND that the program is massively subsidized through financial aid, there are plenty of better destinations for one’s hard earned cash. </p>

<p>Bottom line? Go if it appeals to you and you can afford it. But be prepared that, safe and except the non-academic pleasures, it will be an experience that will be substandard when compared to our glorified country club aka American universities. :)</p>

<p>Others have posted similar info, but my D was able to use her scholarship money to finance study abroad in Prague for a semester. All she had to pay (over the normal cost of tuition/room/board) was an airline ticket. She worked over the summer and was able to cover the ticket herself. Her study abroad program included guided trips to several central European countries (included in the cost). And, since it was in Prague, her incidental expenses were very low. </p>

<p>Also, D traveled abroad to St. Petersburg, Russia for Spring Break for FREE as part of a university sponsored exchange program. </p>

<p>Don’t rule out study abroad until you investigate the costs of specific programs - many are very affordable with financial aid and student earnings. And, as others have said, they are not just vacations. Students study and earn credits toward their degrees!</p>

<p>It was cheaper for me to spend several months in Costa Rica taking classes than doing a semester here. On top of that, I did get some scholarships and FA. YMMV but don’t automatically assume it’s more expensive. Just takes some looking (and perhaps compromising).</p>

<p>Definitely investigate costs and scholarship possibilities. It cost us a LITTLE more for our D to do a semester abroad, and she didn’t love every minute of it. She is minoring in a foreign language and the immersion was very good for her. In addition, in our case, I think being on her own so far away caused some significant maturing. She didn’t get into any trouble at her U.S. uni but I think she always felt like someone could come help her if needed. With her study abroad, she figured out how to get around on her own, how to make her money stretch (she was placed in an apt with other girls and didn’t mesh with them really well; she bought enough for a day or two at a time at a local grocery, so roomates wouldn’t take everything), and traveled unbelievably cheaply by staying in hostels and utilizing Ryan Air and buses.</p>

<p>I think she always COULD handle things for herself, but this experience caused her to learn to BELIEVE that she could. Probably others get that through going to uni far from home in US but for her foreign study did it. And the immersion in the language and culture really helped her a lot.</p>

<p>So I’m not saying that it is a necessity, but I did see a benefit for her.</p>

<p>-Most schools that offer study abroad don’t require it. (I seem to remember a very few do)
-Financial aid still applies overseas.
-Some schools have grants for study abroad not covered by financial aid.
-It is truly a global culture these days, and many kids end up doing something overseas at some point, even if a brief summer program.
-My own daughter is applying to grad school in Europe to save money!</p>

<p>I sure hope you don’t make decisions on that basis. As I remember the tours and orientations seem to mention study abroad a lot as part of marketing, that’s all.</p>

<p>As others have said, it varies, but wanted to add most importantly that it is NOT a long vacation! Two of my nieces did a semester abroad, one in Denmark, one in France/Italy. The one in Denmark was a business major and took classes in her major, plus language classes and helped pay for it with previous summer jobs. She has talked about how great it was ever since. </p>

<p>The other was an education/foreign language major who was able to use her extensive scholarship money towards it. Trips around other parts of Europe were very affordable by train or bus. She now teaches French and takes students to Europe every spring. Well worth it.</p>

<p>You should always be up front with your kids about what you can afford, but saying no to any school with study abroad offering IN CASE that makes your student want to go is just petty.</p>

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<p>This is what I thought Bay, and you could probably tell from my question. I have always thought of you as a very practical person. The decision to study abroad is completely irrelevant in choosing a school (unless it’s mandatory and you don’t want to, or it’s not a focus and it’s important to you). If it’s a non-factor, it’s a non-factor. The school stands on it’s own merits. I hope the OP is just speaking out of frustration and sees that eliminating schools based on this is not a good approach. Cheers. :)</p>

<p>Oh gosh, I missed the “vacation” part. Ha vacation! I lived in a hut in the middle of the rain forest on a ecofarm covered in bug bites and trying, unsuccessfully, to build a bilingual website on more crappy than dial-up internet. </p>

<p>Living and working in a completely different culture (and especially language if you’re not fluent) is EXHAUSTING. Absolutely exhausting. Study abroad is definitely not a long vacation for most (there are exceptions).</p>

<p>^^</p>

<p>Not all experiences are as drastic as yours. </p>

<p>And that is why one has to analyze the options carefully. Deciding to join a program in the Guanacaste or Nicoya Peninsula is quite different from trying your luck at the American University in Paris. While you fought the bugs, other might be feasting on Fauchon macaroons and shopping on the Rue St Honor</p>

<p>xiggi, I didn’t at all mean to make it sound like my experience was typical. It was very atypical. If that’s the way it came off, I apologize. </p>

<p>It was the 2nd paragraph was the generalizable one- and I stick by it :)</p>

<p>Oh please. Study abroad is NOT a “huge vacation”. It is going to college in another country. It is NOT required, and YOUR kid doesn’t have to do it.</p>

<p>My son’s study abroad,semester cost us LESS than his costs for a semester at his university, and that included his plane tickets and spending money. It was a wonderful experience for him to learn alongside of students from a different country, and study with professors from a different college. It was great!</p>

<p>But really YOUR kid never has to study abroad…not ever.</p>

<p>Our DD did not do a study abroad. It just was not possible with her particular two majors…and she and we were disappointed that she didn’t get to do so.</p>

<p>I just can’t believe the OP thinks study abroad is a huge vacation. What an insult to the wonderful faculty at universities abroad who welcome our students, and instruct them well.</p>

<p>Yes, I think Study Abroad is over hyped at college presentations (along with having a million clubs etc.) However, it is not for every kid. The only reason I would use it to rule out a college is if the percentage of kids who studied abroad was very high and my kid was sure they did not want to do it (who wants to be the only junior on campus when the whole school is in another country).</p>