<p>Yesterday I realized that it's gonna take me another 2 years to finish my degree rather than a year and a half and that made me think that I can probably study abroad. I've emailed both my major's department chair and the office for global education and will hopefully get answers on Monday. </p>
<p>I was reading about going abroad on my school's website and reading about the different programs they have, and there's one in the Dominican Republic which I think is just awesome, the problem is I don't speak a lick of Spanish (although I will have a year's worth by the time I go abroad)...but if I can't go to the DR the question becomes where? My school also has programs in England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic, and you can go practically anywhere else as long as it's with an accredited school program, like one of my friends went to Australia last year and another is in France right now.</p>
<p>How do you decide where to go etc?</p>
<p>This really just depends on you and what you’re interested in. Hopefully meeting with a study abroad adviser will help you figure that out but I can try to get you started. Are there any other languages that you do speak and would like to work on? If so, look into countries where those languages are spoken. What are you majoring in? Some countries have particularly good programs for certain majors (for example, my dad was an art major so going to Italy made a lot of sense for him). Are you concerned about culture shock and how you would handle it? If that’s true you might want to pick an English-speaking country so you at least know you’ll be able to get around on your own. Do you want to go with people you know? If so, look through programs sponsored by your school. If you want to meet completely new people, look into direct-enroll programs where you enter into a foreign school by yourself. Are there any regions that you just think would be really cool to see or learn more about? If so, look into what abroad programs are offered in those regions. Basically, just think about what you want out of your study abroad experience and then look through programs to see what would give you the experience you’re looking for.</p>
<p>I’m easy to please. Basically, I’m interested in being in a different country and experiencing something new…and I’m a psychology major so where I go really doesn’t matter in that respect. I speak a little French (what French I remember from high school), but since I’m taking Spanish this upcoming year I’d rather go to a Spanish speaking country.</p>
<p>If you want to go to a Spanish speaking country, go to one. It sounds like you like the Dominican Republic so go there. Honestly we can’t tell you which program is right for you; you just need to browse programs and see what stands out.</p>
<p>Unless the program in the DR requires that you’re proficient in Spanish, I wouldn’t worry about it. When I studied abroad in Costa Rica, there were 6 of us. 2 had never taken Spanish before, 2 were beginners, 1 was intermediate, and I was conversational. By the time we left, we were all at least conversational and we all survived just fine haha :)</p>
<p>I have emailed the office of global education for more information on the program in the DR. That would be my first choice place and depending on if the classes there are taught in English or Spanish I may or may not be able to go. If the classes are taught in English I’m fine but if they’re taught in Spanish there’s no way I could do it because by the time I’m thinking of going I’ll only have 2 semesters of Spanish under my belt. How long were you in Costa Rica for?</p>
<p>2 months. I didn’t take traditional classes though. I did two homestays. One in suburbia where we took “classes” at a Spanish learning school and then small classes with the 6 of us in English. The second part was a homestay with a rural community development program where no one spoke English. By that time, we were prepared.</p>
<p>That’s cool. I’m looking at traditional study abroad stuff.</p>
<p>By the way - interesting username.</p>
<p>Thank you :). It’s from a nickname that my grandfather gave me when I was little.</p>
<p>Go for it. I wanted to study abroad in Japan when i was a freshman, but due to certain circumstances I am unable to now.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I’ll be able to, but I’m trying to figure out if I can or not.</p>
<p>My 4 kids have studied everywhere ,and all had great experiences- no regrets . Son #2 loved New Zealand , D has spent 2 summers in Sweden ,Son 31 lived in China 5 years and spoke fluent Chinese .</p>
<p>If I can go, I’m going, no doubt about it.The question is if I can go, and where?</p>
<p>Well my school’s program to the DR has been put on hold, so I guess I’m not going there.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that the Dominican Republic program isn’t available anymore. But it sounds like you have plenty of options left! Thought I would share an article written by someone who went abroad twice, once to the Caribbean and once to Europe. She reflects on how she decided where to study and offers some advice on choosing a right-fit destination:</p>
<p>[4</a> Tips to Help Pick Your Study Abroad Destination](<a href=“http://mmla.middlebury.edu/blog/post.php?id=399]4”>http://mmla.middlebury.edu/blog/post.php?id=399)</p>
<p>It’s cool. I’ll figure it out. And thanks for the link.</p>
<p>That’s a really great opportunity to learn Spanish. Just make sure you take full advantage of the immersion environment by not socializing solely with the other English speakers. If you want to know more about language learning, google “how to learn any language” and use the forum of the first website that comes up. There are a lot of study abroad threads there.</p>
<p>Too bad I can’t go to the DR and I don’t think I can go to Spain either…my school does have a program in Mexico now though but I have no information on it and Mexico also hasn’t exactly been the safest place lately.</p>
<p>mexico is not bad. I think if you stay away from Juarez and all those cities bordering Texas, Arizona and San Diego, then you should be fine. East coast is the safest in Mexico. When you get to Cancun, there is very little violent activity going on. I mean there are places you avoid in Chicago, LA, NYC and all those places, but people still go there. In fact, those US cities are probably still more violent than some of the Mexican cities with cartel activity. If I had the chance to go to Mexico, I’d definitely look more into it.</p>
<p>on a side note: if they legalize pot in TX, the cartel would be gone because they have no way of making money. just sayin…</p>