It’s hard to dread the first day of school when London is your campus and exotic restaurants are your meal plan. A growing number of students report that studying abroad is the highlight of their learning careers. If you’ve never studied abroad, you don’t know what you’re missing—and, if you have studied abroad, you do know what you’re missing.
Study-abroad programs range from basic language and culture courses to university-level classes, often for college credit (it’s legit, Mom and Dad). In order to choose a program that best fits your needs, research as much as you can before making your decision—determine costs and duration as well as what kinds of students participate in the program and what sorts of accommodations are provided. (Since when was back-to-school shopping this fun?)
In programs that have large groups of students who speak the same language, there is a trade-off. You may feel more comfortable in the community, but you will not have the same opportunity to practice a foreign language or to befriend other international students. For accommodations, dorm life provides a better opportunity to mingle with fellow students, but there is less of a chance to experience the local scene. If you live with a family, you could potentially build lifelong friendships with natives and experience day-to-day life in more depth, but you might also get stuck sharing a room with their pet iguana. Conditions can vary greatly from family to family.
Most university-level study-abroad programs are conducted in the local language, although many programs offer classes in English as well as lower-level language courses. Savvy linguists may find it cheaper ...more
Enrolling at a language school has two major perks: a slightly less rigorous courseload and the ability to learn exactly what those kids in Mainz are calling you under their breath. There can be great ...more
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For 50 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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