<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I transferred to my school as a sophomore this year and now I'm trying to decide if I should study abroad next year. Does anyone have any thoughts? Can anyone tell me what it was like to spend junior year at school while friends were abroad?</p>
<p>you mean to spend a year abroad while friends are at school?</p>
<p>why not attend an orientation meeting at your college for the study-abroad program and ask the kids who've already done it?</p>
<p>cono, i think she means what she said: most of her friends are probably going jr year abroad and she doesn't want to be the only one at school while they're gone.
Personally, I'd say any chance you get to go abroad, if you can afford it, go. I'm going abroad this summer for a month of advanced French language courses, and I wish I could go for longer but my school doesn't offer a semester or year long french program (my mom won't let me go unless it's on a school program).</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend studying aborad, especially in a nation that speaks a language you have learned in school. It is excellent practice!</p>
<p>Don't study abroad just because your friends will be gone, do it because you really want to.</p>
<p>If you just transfered, will you still be able to graduate in 4 years or do you have a lot of classes to catch up on? If you study abroad it can be hard to complete general requirements in another school without planning. I'd just make sure to plan it out carefully.</p>
<p>If you can go abroad and still graduate on time, do it. If you can go abroad and still graduate on time if you take summer sessions, probably still go abroad. If you have to take an extra semester or year, then it might not be worth it.</p>
<p>My daughter will probably have to take an extra semester to graduate if she does study abroad (she is a science major thinking premed and it is pretty hard to fit everything in in 4 years anyway). But I think the experience of study abroad is priceless and have told her that taking an extra semester is fine. I would say do study abroad if it is something you want to do. Base it on what you want rather than what your friends are or are not doing.</p>
<p>where are you planning on going?</p>
<p>most people who've spent time abroad talk of it as one of the key experiences of their college years. Just as going away to college cuts the bonds at home and gives you some independence, going abroad really teaches you independence and self-reliance. If you can handle the bumps and issues in a foreign country, the stuff back home will be cake! And the upside is even better. Few people in their lives, other than the college years, will have the chance to spend an extended period abroad.</p>
<p>As swimcatsmom says, in comparison who cares if it takes a little extra time to finish college (assuming financially you can afford it)? Its an opportunity that is unlikely to repeat again.</p>
<p>The key phrase there is "financially you can afford it", of course.</p>
<p>The time isn't really an issue, but money usually is.</p>