Year or semester? And when are applications typically due?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi,
Next year I want to go to Mexico or some other Latin American country for either a year or a semester and study mainly Spanish. I have Hispanic heritage and I feel like it's something I just need to do.</p>

<p>To learn Spanish pretty fluently, I get the feeling that I should probably be there for a year. While this is no problem financially, it will push my studies back a year, to where it may take me 5 years to graduate. In addition, I wish to study abroad in Russia in a couple years as well, as my minor (or second major) is Russian.
Finances are not an issue, as I have a full-tuition scholarship that will pay for a good portion of my study abroad trip. In addition, my first semester at my public state flagship went very well- in the honors physics program I finished with what will be either a 3.9 or 4.0.</p>

<p>So, should I go for a semester or a year? Keep in mind this is during my sophomore year in college. A year sounds long, but I want this to be total immersion where I can learn to express myself in Spanish very well. I do have experience with the language, btw, but not enough to where I am fluent or can even hold a decent conversation.</p>

<p>One other question- when are applications for study abroad trips in the Fall typically due? I know that I will need to start working on mine during the break, but just to get an idea.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>If your spanish is so bad that you can’t even have a real conversation, it might be premature to go - you’ll get more out of it if you spend more time in the classroom first.</p>

3

<p>That’s the reason I would be going. Simply put, I don’t have room in my schedule to take Spanish courses. I would like to take part in an immersive exchange program - they do exist - that doesn’t have language requirements.</p>