<p>Where would you want to do study abroad? Somewhere that most people have traditionally done study abroad (i.e. Western Europe - Germany, England, Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, Norway, etc) or choose somewhere more exotic or unusual; like Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, etc? </p>
<p>I’m personally trying to decide between Italy and Indonesia - so herein lies my dilemma. I was wondering what other people’s thoughts were. </p>
<p>For me, it would be to a country whose program ties in with my interests and/or career aspirations. For you, I can see Italy as being a viable option due to your interests in classics and law; I don’t know what your interest in Indonesia is, nor do I recall ever seeing a study abroad program in Indonesia (I’m sure they must exist, but that’s not in my wheelhouse.)</p>
<p>Totally depends on your academic pursuits. For me, I studied abroad in Québec and will hopefully study abroad in France because I’m a French major and I want to learn the language through immersion. </p>
<p>Would your programs be instructed in English? Does your university have any exchange programs or affiliated programs? What is your major and academic pursuit?</p>
<p>What year are you and what major? The major often steers the program. My daughter was a math and cs major and looked at math programs, she had a choice of math programs between St. Petersburg (she took Russian and that would have been better language-wise but people said it wasn’t that safe at the time) and Budapest and choose Budapest Semesters in Math. It would have been hard to just pick a random country of interest and get the credits in the major and a really focused program. That may be easier the earlier you go when you have room for more non-major courses, she went very late.</p>
<p>I would do UK if I did one.</p>
<p>
Ways around this:
– You could spend a semester in each.
– Study in one during the year and the other during the summer (e.g. CLS scholarship for Indonesian).
– Apply for the Luce scholarship, Peace Corps, or Fulbright ETA in Indonesia after you graduate. </p>
<p>You can get around most countries in western Europe pretty easily even if you only know English, and the wealth of museums, historical sites, great food, beautiful sites, etc. goes without saying. It’s relatively easy to travel between countries in Europe due to good transit, small countries, and the EU. On the downside, Europe can be quite expensive…it’s not too much fun to spend time in London but not be able to afford to do anything. </p>
<p>Countries more off the beaten track typically retain more of their culture and can make for a more interesting immersion experience. They can also be attractive for an astonishing array of wildlife (e.g. Mexico and Indonesia) for those interested in biology or their diverse non-Indo-European languages for those interested in anthropology or linguistics. As a bonus, these countries are often pretty cheap. On the downside, travel between countries can be difficult if you’re based in such a location (or even within the country), and the number of people who speak English can be extremely small, something to consider if you don’t speak the local language. </p>