<p>Can anyone give me pros/cons of studying abroad for a semester? Do people do it to impress employees/graduate schools or simply for the love of traveling/learning new things? Right now, it doesn't seem to have much practical use. How do other people (especially employers and grad schools) look at a student who has spent a semester abroad? </p>
<p>Furthermore, does it matter WHERE you study abroad? I heard that you need to go to a good school abroad in order for the whole thing to have any positive impact on your resume/transcript.</p>
<p>I'm planning on studying abroad in spring 10 in China. I want to do it because I want to experience living in China and study with Chinese students since China changed so much. I'm also premed. I'm not sure how it will affect me but I doubt it will affect me negatively. I assume studying abroad is good because it makes me look a little different from someone who hasn't. Also I want to take some classes there that aren't offered in Cornell.</p>
<p>A lot of times (and this is true for my brothers and me) people study abroad because they want to spend some actual time living in a place that's not the US. While vacations are nice, they usually last only 1-2 weeks, and you can't really get the taste of the culture.
For example, I've always loved France, and am really interested in Russia, so I might go to either (or both) of those places for a semester or summer so that I can find out more about the people and lifestyles on a personal basis, not just from a textbook or by word-of-mouth.
I'm almost positive that a study abroad looks impressive to imployers no matter where you go, as long as you do well and make a good experience out of it. It also shows some language skills, unless you've studied in England, Australia, or South America, where English is spoken anyways.
Some negatives, though (cause I saw you asked for some), are that if you're not careful, the credits from your semester abroad may not transfer back. This happened to my brother on his trip to Russia (he only fulfilled his language requirement through the trip, although he took ~5 classes at University of Moscow,) and he had to take an extra semester to graduate, along with summer courses at the local community college.
Also, these trips cost money: you'll have to pay tuition to the university you'll be attending abroad (and maybe a small fee to the school you already attend, though that differs by college,) there's air-fare (which is now more expensive than ever, due to the fuel crisis,) there's spending money (everyone loves souvenirs!), probably medical insurance if you're going to a place that doesn't have reknown medical technology/coverage (my parents had to pay to be able to fly me out of Russia in case I seriously hurt myself or fell extremely ill,) and other such odds and ends expenses.</p>
<p>Obviously, you should look into the study abroad program at your college and decide whether or not it's the right thing for you to do: most places have specific offices with people trained to help you decide wear to go, when, what courses to take there, and generally make the process pain-free. Both of my brother's loved their semesters abroad: my oldest went to Moscow last fall semester, and the other is currently taking a domestic abroad down at American University in Washington, D.C.</p>
<p>Studying abroad is one of the best decisions you can make in college. I truly don't c why anyone wouldn't. I studied abroad and traveled all over and absolutely LOVED IT. I'll forever treasure my study abroad experience. When else in ur life are you going to be able to live in a different country? When you retire? Take advantage of the opportunity while you still can</p>
<p>Iif I want to go abroad in spring 2010, is it better to live on campus next fall, or live off campus and just sublet for the spring semester? What do most people end up doing?</p>
<p>I'm in the greek system so this doesn't apply to me...but to be honest I have friends who do both. Hopefully u can get more clear answers than that lol. I guess it depends on ur priorities and whether u will be doing either with friends or not.</p>
<p>Study abroad it great, though academically it can be challenging (just because of the differences).</p>
<p>For a 3rd year in plant science (starting spring), is there any chance that I could go abroad? All of my core classes are out of the way, so I'm just wondering if I could take courses that would translate back for my major requirements?</p>
<p>It's actually the opposite of academically challenging unless you go to a top international school lol. My school was even well regarded and easy. It really depends on where you go I guess. Most credits transfer back as electives. This is a discussion u should be having with ur counselor tho</p>
<p>It was difficult for me. Because of the free college for Irish students the first year classes at the uni were huge (300-500). Also, there was one essay/exam for each class at the end of the semester that accounted for 100% of your final grade in that class (no essays, quizzes, exams, homework, ect.). I ended up doing well in everything though.</p>
<p>I'd rather not talk about specifics, but I was in Europe. It was a good college too...its just the Europeans in general put less of a focus on work and more on the experience during college. The Europeans I talk to are always insanely shocked at how much work we do and how expensive it is. Lots of Europeans don't see it as nearly as stressful of an environment and are assigned much less work. Plus u get a 4 day school week in Europe... </p>
<p>(This is from the experience in my country and a few others I have been to and talked to ppl about).</p>
<p>btw: Even if its not an easy school its probably not as hard as Cornell. Unless ur taking classes in a diff language or at a school like Oxford it will be one of the easiest semesters (and most likely one of the most fun) of ur college career.</p>
<p>^Along with the previous comment, remember that study abroad is a chance for you to have fun, not to be bogged down with more work. Think hard before going to a school as renowned or more than Cornell like Oxford, Cambridge, LSE all of them have like 10 page essays due every week! But even with other schools, Europeans learn in a different way than Americans. They do not rely on their professors to teach them the material like and there is a lot of responsibility and freedom left to you to research for papers and end of the year exams(which are usually on the spot essays). At Cornell, classes require work to be turned in every week, but in Europe they usually have one essay(if any) and an exam at the end of the year or semester. There is no class participation, so your grade depends on those two things. </p>
<p>Also, if you are in Arts and Sciences, some majors, like government, are not really open to abroad study in countries with a foreign language, so make sure you stay on top of taking the right classes at the right school for the right amount of credit.</p>
<p>If you can, study abroad is a must. Wherever you go, even if it is just DC, the fact that you tried to broaden the scope of your education to places outside of Cornell makes you a unique candidate anywhere. But also for yourself it is a great experience. I have never heard anyone say that study abroad was bad, okay, or the worst. IN fact everyone has said it was the best decision in their life. In undergraduate education, study abroad is becoming a new "must". Meeting other students from other schools, you will find that they too have either gone abroad or will go abroad.</p>
<p>Haha! Oxford is a complete party school unless you are intentionally a recluse. If you got the requisite 3.5 at Cornell, you can pull a 2.1 (a decent grade) without too much effort. A moderately heavy load would be two full tutorials, which averages out to about an eight page essay a week. It's not too bad, since you're only "in class" two hours a week. Oxford has innumerable cooky traditions, and it's easy to get caught up in... "extracurriculars." Don't be discouraged from going to Oxford because you're worried about being bogged down in work. Also, there are two six-week vacations, and many exchange students go backpacking together and even stay with friends in their home countries. </p>
<p>The best part about Oxford's way of teaching (writing-intensive tutorials with at most four students) is that your research/writing improves greatly. It would be more difficult to do well at Oxford if you were more reliant on rote memorization at Cornell for your grades. </p>
<p>I would echo everyone else who has studied abroad-- it's an unforgettable opportunity!</p>
<p>I'll be studying abroad next semester, and I'm excited but nervous. My family has always valued experiencing different parts of the world, so they have been very supportive in my decision process. I am an engineer too, so if I can study abroad, anybody can with careful planning! When will you ever get the chance to spend an expended period of time in another place with hardly any obligations. </p>
<p>It is probably easiest to live on campus the year you are going away. I'm pretty sure you can get out of your housing contract if you are going abroad. If you get an apartment, often times it is hard to get a subletter, especially one that will pay full price for your room, unless you go into the lease together.</p>
<p>"Do you guys recommend me to study in Nairobi, Kenya or somewhere in Africa? I've always wanted to study in Kenya."</p>
<p>If you have the opportunity, you'd be stupid not to. I'd love to study in Africa, although I don't know if abroad Kenya programs would be up and running because of the current political climate...</p>
<p>Israel is <em>great</em> and I've heard a tiny bit about Turkey being good (Instanbul).</p>
<p>About Africa...DEFINITELY do it. My friend went to Africa and LOVEDDD it. Her pictures made me really jealous. Safaris, diving with sharks, bungee jumping, seeing tons of diff animals, etc. I only went to Europe b/c I had never been there before and I feel like its a must see place. If I had been 2 Europe before studying abroad I'm sure I would have also picked a cool unique place (probably in Asia). Altho I would look into how stable Kenya is...</p>
<p>But ya, I definitely agree with the people who wrote after me about how great of an opportunity it is to study abroad.</p>