UA Semester Exchange Program

<p>D would like to study abroad and we are looking at the UA Semester Exchange Program. She is minoring in French - so England or a French speaking country would be the logical place for her to start looking. It appears like possibilities could be:
Belgium - HEC - University of Liege
France - Bordeaux Management School; University of Francois-Rabelais-Tours; University of Poitiers.
Other possibilities could be:
England - University of Birmingham; University of Hull; University of Leicester</p>

<h2>Wales - Aberystwyth University</h2>

<p>Does anyone have knowledge of any of these schools?
D is currently studying Business.
Look for a good starting place as she starts exploring.
Thank you!</p>

<p>A semester would be great! My D is also minoring in French. She just applied today for the summer UA in France program. But it is just a summer program.</p>

<p>If your D is OOS has a full-tuition scholarship, be aware that the exchange programs often cost more than directly enrolling in the school as a visiting student and paying international tuition. if she directly enrolls in a foreign school, UA will write her a check for the value of tuition. </p>

<p>Do note that UA’s study abroad office has been known to downplay the availability of directly enrolling in schools and also discouraging students from enrolling in exchange programs where UA sends more students then it gets visiting from such schools.</p>

<p>Many business students have studied at the London School of Economics (LSE), though those programs are either during the summer or for an entire year. Such arrangements are typically organized via CBA rather than the study abroad office.</p>

<p>One school I would highly suggest she consider is McGill. It’s an excellent school located in Montreal, which is one the best cities in North America for young people. Classes are taught in English, but otherwise people speak French and the city feels more European.</p>

<p>In terms of English or French speaking countries, she should also consider studying in the Netherlands. While the official language is Dutch, almost everyone speaks English and university courses are often taught in English.</p>

<p>Thanks SEA_tide! I understand what you are saying about the UA Exchange program. That is the list I was looking at. If D enrolls directly in a foreign school - what should she start to research to make sure it’s a good school and credits will transfer? What is CBA? I just did a search on UA and it came up as Culverhouse. If D contacts them - do they have recommendations for Study Abroad at foreign schools?
Thank you for the suggestions about the London School of Economics and McGill. Do you know of some other popular schools students like to go where they have a good experience and credits transfer?
Do you know if there are any clubs/organizations that focus on students who study abroad. Topics on what to consider, what you want to get out of your experience, good schools to enroll in, etc.
Thanks so much! Obviously I’m at the Study Abroad 101 level :)</p>

<p>CBA is the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. </p>

<p>The majority of UA students study abroad though one of UA’s summer study abroad programs or a direct exchange. Those who directly enroll in a foreign university typically try to choose a school which is highly ranked in their field. Both classes are open to all honors students even if they aren’t in the International Honors Program and the courses count towards the required 6 hours of UH courses and possibly towards the international course requirement for CBA undergraduates.</p>

<p>IHP 105 or 155 (155 is only for freshman, 105 is open to all years) includes a section discussing the different types of study abroad and the different stages of adapting to other cultures. </p>

<p>If you like foreign films, L’Auberge Espagnole (often called either The Spanish Apartment or Pot Luck) is a popular film about students from various European countries studying abroad in Barcelona. Some of the IHP 105/155 classes watch and discuss the film as part of the section about studying abroad.</p>

<p>I would really suggest she go to France or Belgium! England and Wales are great countries too, of course, but studying abroad in a country where you’re learning the language is SO helpful in terms of fluency!! Plus then she could get a better feel of what some French speaking countries are like in case the opportunity ever arises in the future to work or live abroad there. Also Switzerland would be cool too if she studied in one of the French speaking areas. I traveled in Switzerland for a bit, and it was absolutely amazing. The only thing I would caution is I’m not sure if the French spoken in Switzerland differs from the French spoken elsewhere…In Switzerland, the German they speak is a different dialact, and being a student at the time who’d only had 3 years of high school German, it was incredibly difficult for me to understand. Another point I’d like to make is that if she studies in France or Belgium, it will be a lot easier for her to visit other countries on the weekend than if she studied in England or Wales. You can buy a $500 pass that allows you unlimited rides on the trains across Europe, which is an incredible deal.</p>

<p>Saying that you can get “unlimited rides” is not correct. If you are traveling by trains throughout Europe there are many, many pass options. Of course, the least expensive will be a student pass of some kind but there are tons of variations. There are passes that will allow single country travel or multiple country travel.</p>

<p>You can usually travel “unlimited” only on your selected travel days, because you are limited to a set number of days within a certain time frame. Example: you purchase a student discounted train ticket for one country only, with five travel days within a two month time frame. You can travel on those days either consecutively or not. You can normally take “unlimited” train trips on those travel days, some restrictions may apply.</p>

<p>Even with a one country ticket, you can generally travel in other countries, if they border directly with the ticket’s origin country. There can be other caveats as well. You must consider all the various options before buying a ticket in order to get the best value. Is it less expensive to buy a EURail ticket or a ticket for a particular train service? You have to consider many factors; where you want to travel, when you want to travel, how many days you want to travel, peak or non peak trains, speed trains or regular trains and other options. Lay your travel plans out, examine schedules and costs, and then check various websites for ticket prices.</p>

<p>Some rail lines even give group discounts. Therefore, it can be cheaper to grab some friends to go sightseeing with rather then using up one of your allocated travel days. Save that day for when you are traveling singly.</p>