<p>Hi. I'd like to introduce myself first since this is my first post on here! I'm a 20 yr old male (21 in the spring) who's a pre med major at a pretty small university. I'm in the middle of my 3rd year, of a 5 year plan. I've decided that it's not overly important to me to get done with school in a short time, so I should take fewer classes each semester (12-15 credits usually) to ensure a better GPA. So far, it has been working out greatly for me and I hope I can continue. </p>
<p>Anyways, I had posted this on yahoo answers, but only got 1 response in about a week, so I decided to try out some forums. Hopefully you guys can help me! And now, onto my questions...</p>
<p>I am in the middle of my 3rd year of a 5 year pre-med plan, and would like to study abroad in about a year. I am from the US, so English is my native language, and I would prefer to go somewhere where they also speak English. I really think it would be a great experience for me. </p>
<p>However, I don't know where to begin looking for one. How do I study abroad? Do I do it through my university or do I just enroll in another school overseas for 1 semester? What are the basics of studying abroad? Where do you live? What do you do for fun? I'm very confused about all of this, but this is something I would really like to do. </p>
<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!</p>
<p>Start by visiting the study abroad office at your university. Essentially the answer to all of your questions is “it depends” on the program, the circumstances, the country etc.</p>
<p>@cupcake yeah, I kinda figured haha. Can you kind of tell me then “generalities” of studying abroad? </p>
<p>Like, generally, where do you live while abroad? That a big question mark for me. Do you lease an apartment in a different country? Or do you stay in a dorm with local freshman?</p>
<p>What else do I need to know about studying abroad?</p>
<p>You are best off talking to the study abroad office of your college. They will help you find programs where you (1) can transfer credits back to your college, and (2) will enable you to keep on track to graduate and fulfill your pre-med coursework. Based on that, and your current GPA, they will probably have some programs to recommend. While some students go abroad for a full year, others just go for a semester, so you might keep an open mind so you can be sure to stay on track for your education goals.</p>
<p>Most programs that your university helps arrange also help you arrange housing. Sometimes it is dorms, sometimes apartments. Sometimes you are housed with other students coming from abroad, sometimes with "local’ students, some even have homestays. Trust me that it is far easier to go through a program where some kind of housing arrangement is made for you (one of my kids did a direct enrollment at a foreign college where housing was not provided, and it was the biggest pain in the a** you could imagine).</p>
<p>You should go see your study abroad office right after break. There is a lot to do with getting visas, insurance for abroad, making sure you pick a program that meets your academic goals and you are accepted to it, etc. If you want to go next fall, get right in there as soon as you are back from school. You might see if your college has a website and start looking at it now.</p>
<p>@intparent thanks for all that info. I plan to go to my advisor when break wraps up and the offices are back in business. However, my preference would be to go next winter-spring semester. So basically, at this time next year, I would be getting ready to start my semester abroad!</p>
<p>Since you seem to have a first hand experience with this, would you mind sharing it? What would you avoid doing if you had to do it again? What would you recommend doing? Where did your kid go? Stuff like that would be awesome!</p>
<p>Does your college have a study abroad website? Start there… I am hesitant to give much advice until you see what your college allows and what interests you. </p>
<p>@intparent we have a website, but it’s not overly helpful. It basically says to come in to the office and meet with someone to get the info. There’s not much online, unfortunately. </p>
<p>Personally, going to Eastern Europe doesn’t interest me at all. I’d love to go to a place in either Western Europe, Asia, or Australia. I’d like somewhere with a nightlife and things to do. Somewhere safe. Beaches would be awesome, especially because I’m from the cold mid-western climate. </p>
<p>Finland. She is also from a cold Midwestern climate, that part felt right at home. My other kid was looking at a program in Turkey for next year, but for various reasons decided not to go abroad for a semester after all. </p>
<p>Some things to ask about, besides the primary considerations of whether credits will transfer, how you will stay on track for your pre-med requirements, and housing include:
What language are classes taught in?
How do the finances work? Do you pay your normal cost to your college, and they cover the expenses of the program? What about airfare and board (food)? </p>
<p>Australia is a great option. They have had thousands of US students there over the years. Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne are all excellent academic destinations. Several campuses have an International House residence hall. I lived in one and made life-long friends there. If you go through a study abroad program, they will tailor a semester calendar for US students. But if you enroll directly with an Australian university, their academic year runs February to November. Also, Sydney University has Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on campus.</p>
<p>@intparent Finland seems like a fun place to go. I’d like a warmer place, but it could be nice to go there. </p>
<p>Those are great questions to ask. Thanks for telling me them. I honestly didn’t know what I should be asking the people at the study abroad office when I go, but now I do. I would need the classes taught in English. I’ve taken Spanish since 1st grade, all 4 years in high school, and one semester of college, but I would be lying if I said I knew the language. I could probably get by and figure things out, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. I can understand and read it for the most part, but have a hard time forming sentences and getting my point across in the language.</p>
<p>As for the room and board expenses, I currently only pay for the credits. Like I said earlier, I’m at a very small university where nearly half of the students commute. I live off campus with my parents to save some money. So basically, the only different charge for me would be paying for room and board. </p>
<p>@midwestdad3 Australia seems awesome. I guess it makes sense that their academic year would be from Feb-Nov, since their summer months are basically during the US’s winter months. That means that if I am to study abroad there, it would make sense to do it during my winter semester (January-April), or when that AUS semester lines up with that timeframe. </p>
<p>Would it be possible to get an internship in that hospital in Sydney? How would I go about doing that? I feel like that would be a great experience for me to work a little and go overseas to study. Is this just an American thing, or is this something I could do overseas?</p>
She is also from a cold Midwestern climate, that part felt right at home. My other kid was looking at a program in Turkey for next year, but for various reasons decided not to go abroad for a semester after all. </p>