<p>Not necessarily gaining many (if any, at all) of my credits towards my major, but potentially knocking out my entire minor (International Studies). Essentially, this could look both very good and very bad, because I'm not progressing in my majors courses and even that area save for maybe one or two courses. </p>
<p>What do you guys think?
It may help to know I'm a Biology major with Pre-Med. intentions. Medical schools like study abroad, but I don't want to push it.</p>
<p>EDIT: The reason I wouldn't take any major courses is because after the first level courses, it's extremely difficult to find schools that teach upper-level natural sciences in English. Maybe in Europe or something, but I'm either going to South Korea or China. So I might be able to nab Organic Chemistry or Microbiology/Genetics abroad in English, but beyond that, I doubt anything else.</p>
<p>The primary issue in my mind (and you can see that I am a parent, from my username!) is whether you will still be able to graduate on time. If this is at risk, what about going for just a semester, or for a summer program? My D is going abroad for one semester (next fall, Junior year. She is spending the second semester off campus as well a Washington DC internship program her college is affiliated with (and that lines up with her major). If you really want to be off campus for a year, you could look for a program in the US that lines up with your major but gives you a different experience. Do one semester in China or South Korea, then the other program the other semester.</p>
<p>Like intparent said, I think your biggest concern should be whether or not you’ll be able to graduate if you go abroad. It wouldn’t seem to make sense to do it, at least not for a year, if it means you won’t graduate on time.</p>
<p>As far as it looking bad because you’re not completing any major requirements while your abroad, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Employers will care mostly about the fact that you are studying abroad, not that your working on you major while abroad. The whole point of being abroad is actually to gain more life skills (as opposed to strictly academic work) than if you had stayed back at your home university. Unless you’re a language major, which it doesn’t look like you are, you’re abroad location isn’t all that important compared to the fact that your living on your own in a foreign country for a year.</p>
<p>I see you mentioned you might study in China or Korea. Check out this website, [CET</a> Programs > CET Academic Programs](<a href=“http://www.cetacademicprograms.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Parent_ID=0&Link_ID=5A1D413F-F16F-6001-E14EC3437CDC5A67]CET”>http://www.cetacademicprograms.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Parent_ID=0&Link_ID=5A1D413F-F16F-6001-E14EC3437CDC5A67), a lot of the programs are language based, but some aren’t.</p>
<p>Good luck,</p>
<p>[The</a> Study Abroad Blog](<a href=“The Study Abroad Blog - Nate Nault”>http://thestudyabroadblog.com/)</p>