<p>Is studying abroad really helpful (does it look good when you apply to graduate school, jobs, etc. --in my case, med school), or is it just a way to relax and practice communication skills with foreigners? Many colleges offer a stipend to allow students to go study abroad, and many take advantage of it, but is it really wise?</p>
<p>I'd say that schools or employers would likely see it as a sign of ambition.
However, I feel the personal growth I endured while studying abroad greatly outweighs anything a grad school or future employer would see.
You should study abroad because you want to, not to boost your resume.</p>
<p>So did your college fund your study abroad experience?</p>
<p>With regards to how universities feel about studying abroad, I've done a tad bit of research [url=<a href="http://theroria.com/discussion/18/how-do-universities-feel-about-gap-years/%5Dhere%5B/url">http://theroria.com/discussion/18/how-do-universities-feel-about-gap-years/]here[/url</a>], but basically, top universities these days are actually encouraging taking a gap-year to go and study abroad. </p>
<p>I personally went abroad on my own (not through a program or school); I took a gap year between highschool and college. Now I'm majoring in international affairs, so it should look good. But again, all of the fun I had greatly outweighed any "professional" benefit I've gained.</p>
<p>
[quote]
So did your college fund your study abroad experience?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Partially. The remainder of the funds came from Freeman Asia Awards.
Then again, it cost a total of $25,000 to go.</p>
<p>WOW...25 grand. That's a lot of money for a so-called "good experience." I wouldn't mind going abroad if it was all funded for, but spending that much money...not really how I would do it.</p>
<p>it is a lot of money to study abroad.
did any of u hear of the program School Year Abroad?</p>
<p>Going abroad is expensive. Plane tickets, visa fees, immunizations, a weak dollar (depending where you go), transportation, housing, food. You could try and get a research grant to do it somewhat more cheaply, but good luck finding someone to fund the entire thing.</p>
<p>Well, my school gave me $12,000, Freeman Asia gave me $10,000 and I made the rest through more or less begging for money outside of Wal-Mart.
Lame, yes, but because I lived in a small overly-friendly town, it worked. A lot of students here do that for studying abroad.
I actually made enough to upgrade my plane tickets to first-class.</p>
<p>The $25,000 covered tuition, books, fees, a private three-bedroom apartment with no roommates (the program supplied that, I didn't request it), a maid (also supplied), excursions and activities, and transportation to other cities.</p>
<p>I stayed for a year, so it came out to be the same as remaining at my home college.</p>
<p>Wow, sounds like it was fun...</p>
<p>But I was referring to like summer excursions for studying abroad. I wouldn't want to go somewhere for a year..more like a summer trip to study somewhere and use the vacation time I have during college.</p>
<p>The dollar is actually doing really well against the pound and the Euro...it's like 1.25-1.28 a Euro these days.</p>
<p>Based on my research, summer programs are usually expensive for the amount of time you spend in the place. Most of the time, studying abroad for a semester or year in college is a better decision financially because many times it cost more than actually attending your university, and in a lot of cases, can be substantially cheaper than going to a private American university or an out-of-state public. I'm in Spain currently and only spending about $1,000 more than I would have spent going to my university back home. I know a lot of people who are saving upwards of $10,000 a semester by being abroad. One of my friends spend a YEAR in BARCELONA when a Euro was about $1.75, and still saved money because she was an OOS student at my school.</p>