#study abroad advice

[academiceve]

Guide for Studying Abroad

I thought it would be useful to write a guide about studying abroad answering frequently asked questions! I know that not everyone has the opportunity to take a semester off and study abroad but maybe if you’re about to embark on this journey or you’re thinking about studying abroad this post could be useful. 

FINDING A PROGRAM

The first step you need to take is to visit your university’s website and look at the study abroad opportunities your school offers. Look for a partner university list (other schools your university works with for international exchange, etc.). I would also advise you to make an appointment with your study abroad counsellor - a person who will help answer all of your questions, help you apply and make sure you’re doing ok while studying abroad by checking in with you from time to time. They’re a great resource by helping you pick the best programme, applying for scholarships and also connecting you with fellow students who have already studied abroad! 

APPLYING 

Applications are different from university to university; therefore, the requirements are different. Usually they will require you to fill out an application form about yourself (including your GPA), submit peer and academic recommendations and apply for scholarships. You will then go through a selection process during which both school will decide if you can study abroad. Once you’re accepted, you will have to continue the scholarship application process, as well as apply for classes (make sure you can receive credit for them!) and visas (if you need to), etc. 

SCHOLARSHIPS

Available scholarships are also different everywhere! Your university should have a list of scholarships that you can apply for in order to study abroad. Your study abroad university can also have scholarships. It really depends! That’s why I advise you to have a meeting with a study abroad counsellor before you begin your application process! Also please be aware that studying abroad is expensive; therefore, have a plan of how you will pay for this experience if you do not receive any scholarships!

PREPARING

If everything goes smoothly and you’re about to embark on this new experience research the country you will be visiting. Also research the university you will be studying abroad at (further). You should have already done your research while considering which programmes you should apply for; however, now look at customs, weather, the surrounding area you will be living in, so that you can pack well.

As for packing, please don’t over pack! You can always buy stuff that you will need once you’re there but I’d say the most important items besides your passport, plane ticket, bank cards and student id are a swimsuit, flip-flops (shower shoes) and workout clothes. I’d recommend bringing one dressier outfit for parties, etc. too. 

ARRIVAL

I’m assuming that up to this point everything went well for you! Arrange pick up from the airport and have a plan in place on how you’re going to get to campus/apartment where you will be staying for the next semester. I’d recommend arriving 1-2 days before orientation week. Usually universities will have preferred arrival dates and organise an orientation week for study abroad students (I’ve participated in one while in South Korea and organised 2 at my home university too!). I’m sure they will send you information about it!

STUDYING ABROAD

Please enjoy yourself and have fun! Be open to meeting different people, try to make new friendships, enjoy your new campus, travel, travel and travel some more! Attend different events on campus and maybe even join a club or two! This experience will push you to step out of your comfort zone and enjoy new things! 

Also, please don’t be that annoying person who focusses every single waking hour of their day on connecting with friends they have left back home. Yes, you will “miss out” on an entire semester at you university; however, your friends will be there once you return back home. Don’t exhaust yourself by trying to catch your friends back home because you now live in completely different time zones and enjoy where you are! There’s a quote that I really like by Jim Elliot - “Wherever you are be all there”. 

DEPARTURE

It’s sad to have to return back home. Hopefully, new experiences helped you learn and grow and change as a person, so I know how hard it is to have to say goodbye to your new friends! Personally, while studying abroad in South Korea I felt like I stepped out of my life back home and then once the semester was coming to an end I had to wake up and return to reality. It was hard because I have made wonderful friends and I didn’t know when I would see them next and also everything at home haven’t really changed, except for me. By the way, some of those scholarships that you received might ask you to write an essay about your experience, so you will also have to deal with that once you return 😊

MOVING ON

Once I returned back home and I had to start a new semester at my home university I immersed myself in my studies fully. I even found an internship I could do to keep myself busy. I also started this blog and Instagram account 😊 I would Skype and chat with my new friends and discuss how difficult it was for us all to return home, so take your time! Eventually, I was able to move past my study abroad experience and look forward to new adventures! I can look at photos from that period in my life and smile and although I miss some of my closest friends because we’re scattered around the world, I know that some of them I will be able to meet again! I also know that there are many more wonderful opportunities awaiting; therefore, I have to move forward! Eventually, you will get to that point too!

I hope you found this post useful. I’ve been meaning to write blog posts about my study abroad experience for the longest time; however, I will say that my decision to study abroad in South Korea was the highlight of my undergraduate degree! So please consider applying! 

If you would like to read more from me, click HERE to see other blog posts! You can also follow my studygram HERE for some inspiration! 

OTHER USEFUL LINKS:

The International Student Blog and their Study Abroad Guide

10 Benefits to Studying Abroad by the International Student Blog

The Abroad Guide Website

A Student Guide to Studying Abroad

[studiesbytrophyfish]

Hi! Is it super expensive to study in Korea? I’ve seen that they check for how much you have in your account before being allowed to enter for school. I would love to study in Korea, but I don’t have savings, I just get a certain amount each month due to personal reasons. It’s definitely enough to live off of! Just not in a huge lump sum.. would that be a disadvantage?

hello friendly neighborhood anon! i hope you’re having a good day! 

so this is tricky question to answer lol. you are correct that in order to study abroad in korea and obtain the proper visa, you must prove that you have a certain amount of money in the bank. for me when i went last year, i had to prove that either myself or an immediate family member (so in my case my mom) had $7,000 in the bank. so they just need a bank statement with those figures as a part of the visa process. i’m not sure what happens if you don’t have someone able to show that you have that money in the bank somewhere. also, i’m not sure if $7,000 is the standard or if it differs depending on the school. 

this is something not usually talked about in the going abroad experience so i’m super glad you asked this question!

now on the flipside, my tuition for the semester was $3,000! this is super duper cheap compared to my school’s price which was around $24,0000 a semester. so along with the apartment i stayed in and my roundtrip flight my whole semester was around $6,000 and some change. i was lucky enough that my loans covered everything for me except my plane ticket. 

i was also living off $500 a month as my living expenses, so i could do some shopping but i could also go out to eat and party. my bigger expenses really came around the holidays because i was bringing gifts home but i got my apartment deposit back and that was an extra $500 in my pocket lol (let’s just say i had a really great time at the kakao friends store that day) my school recommended that living off $1000 a month was the standard but there are ways to be frugal in seoul, especially when you’re not living on campus. 

if you would like, i could do a more in depth post on how to live frugally in seoul while still having fun. i can also cover the perks of not living in a dorm while studying abroad in korea. :3 

[japanesetranslated]

Study Abroad Advice

Does anyone know good study abroad programs?

I’ve been researching but you guys could help by recommending or telling how one was.

It could be study abroad, exchange, gap year or working in Japan. I’m not going anytime soon (in years) but would like to inform myself well now for reasons.

I’m looking for summer or full years. Not really looking for homestay ones.

I live in USA.

Thanks japaneseblrs. ^ ^

[dancingaboutarchitecturearchive]

Top 5 NYUP Tips

If someone asked me what the biggest pieces of advice I could give about living in Paris, were, this is what I’d tell them. Some of this is what you’ll read on any study abroad survival guide, but really, there’s a reason that some advice is repeated so often- it’s good. Follow it. Especially 1 and 2 in this case. Anyways, this is what helped me survive in and learn to love the city (not that Paris is hard to love!) and I hope that anyone incoming students find them helpful!

1.) Make French friends. Really. I know it can be daunting, but the very best way to see the city is to meet people who know the city. (Not to mention that the best way to learn a language is to practice with native speakers!) I had a few friends who studied in Paris and all of my best adventures were with them. It’s easy to get trapped in the NYU/ American bubble, but try to get out of it as much as possible. Hang out at the Sorbonne library, look into any NYU planned meet-ups with French students, find events in the city. (I found that the app Couchsurfing was helpful to find events). You will regret it if you spend your year only hanging out with Americans!

2.) Get out of the dorms. My biggest regret was not completing the Paris bucket list I made in the beginning of the year. While I had many unplanned adventures and discovered so much that Pinterest didn’t tell me about, i was a little sorry that I hadn’t seen some of the things I’d planned on. My biggest excuse? Laziness. It’s so easy to get sucked into the routine of class, dorm, Netflix, and spend more time in your bed than in the city. You’re only in Paris for one year, and the city has so much to offer. Someone told me that Paris is underrated, because the sights labeled as must-sees are overrated. Once you’ve seen the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, get out and discover what the guidebooks don’t tell you!

3.) Get Free Mobile. I don’t know if everyone will agree on this, but 50 GB of 4G and unlimited texting and calling in the EU for $20 a month? Sign me up again, please. 

4.) Stay on top of class readings. Okay, this is kind of a given, but there are a lot of professors (I probably can’t name names here) that really make sure their students are keeping up. If you don’t want to be called on at 9 am to summarize a paper you never read or get a D on a quiz because Sparknotes didn’t cover all of the minute details of The Odyssey, do yourself a favor and just read the materials.

5.) HEMA. If you don’t know what this is now, find out once you get to Paris. I bought everything here, from peanut butter and chia seeds to stationery and kitchen supplies to Polaroid film. Everything is crazy cheap (aside from Polaroid film, everything listed above was under $10, and most was under $5). The stores are all over the place, but there’s one at Italie Deux, a shopping mall about 15 minutes away by foot or bus from the Montsouris Residence. My favorite HEMA was on Rue de Rivoli, and was a gorgeous 20 minute walk from campus.

[iamliberalartsgt]

The 5 Important Things NOT Included on your Study Abroad Packing Guide

Today was the first week of classes on the Sussex Exchange Program (a whole month after the fall semester at Georgia Tech begins), and after having done the SLS in Spain faculty-led program earlier this year, I would say that I’m a GT study abroad connoisseur. I’ve had two separate experiences packing and planning to go abroad to two countries with completely different climates and cultures. Over the past year I’ve learned so much about this pre-travel process, and I want to share with you all the little tips and tricks that most likely won’t be provided on a typical packing list.

1. Motion Sickness Medicine

Also known as Your Best Friend. When studying abroad, you’ll be doing a lot of traveling, rather that be by plane, boat, car, or other vehicle. If you’re prone to motion sickness, some kind of medicine is crucial to your wellbeing in this constant state of motion. This is important especially if you’re going to Europe, as a majority of cars there are manual shift and tend to be more jerky when accelerating or turning. After being on a bus through the Sierra Nevada and taking ferries to and from Morrocco from southern Spain without it, I learned my lesson really quickly. 

2. Using Metal Hooks to Secure Your Bags

You know those small metal hooks that people usually use on their lanyards or to make keychains? Those are absolutely perfect for secure your backpack against theft in crowded, tourist-y areas known for pickpocketing. Not to mention they’re a few dollars at almost any store, a good replacement for those expensive backpack locks.

3. Travel Pillows

If motion sickness pills are Your Best Friend, a travel pillow is The Love of Your Life. You’ll be out and about doing everything you can in your months overseas, so try to get in as much sleep as you can, wherever you can.

4. Emergency Contact Information

The Office of International Education reminds you before you leave to either grab one of these emergency contact cards from their office or print it yourself, but this is not all you need! It’s also crucial you carry the phone numbers for the closest hospitals and police while you’re abroad, as well as the information for your friends and family back home. It’s a good idea to write down the international numbers for your cell phone company and bank as well, but this can be kept at your accomodation instead of carrying it around in your wallet, purse or bag.

5. Google Maps Offline

Want to travel around an area without a paper map but scared about dodgy internet connection? Google Maps gives you the option to download maps of towns, cities, even entire countries for future use offline, which is a real life saver if you can’t find wi-fi in a foreign place.

And that’s it! I can guarantee that most if not all of these tips aren’t normally included in study abroad guides. They’ve helped me prepare to study abroad (twice!), and hopefully they can help you. Until later!

[adriannnatravels-blog]

You know how people who have studied abroad always say it changed their life? Well, after I went abroad I found myself saying the same thing. What’s holding you back from having your life changed?

[dancingaboutarchitecturearchive]

Bonjour NYU Paris!

I completed my freshman year at NYUP last year and 100% did not keep up this blog like I thought I would. However, I know that last fall as an incoming freshman I was clueless about life in Paris and would have appreciated any tips i could find on the internet. This week, I’ll post some advice about the residence halls, grocery shopping, phone plans, etc., that I hope people will find useful. Bon voyage!

[shoestrung]

Packing

Studying Abroad

You’re probably definitely going to over-pack the first time you leave for a semester. A good rule of thumb for cutting down your luggage is to pack for just two weeks. You’ll usually end up with enough clothes for three, and at that point you’ll hopefully be doing laundry.

Leave behind anything you’ll only wear a few times. Just because you like it doesn’t mean you’ll wear it more overseas than you do in your everyday life stateside.

Your goal is to leave room in your one suitcase to bring back the miscellaneous bullshit you’ll accumulate.

Bring two pairs of shoes: dress shoes for special occasions and nights out, and everyday shoes, which are going to get beat to hell. I’d recommend leather boots, which generally look stylish enough to wear in a city, but can easily be waterproofed and are fairly comfortable to walk in. If they aren’t, buy inserts. This is so important. Other shoes are at your discretion, but these two are not negotiable.

Shorter Trips

When it comes down to it, all you need to pack for a short trip are underwear and socks, your passport and wallet, your toothbrush, and your phone. Maybe a rain coat. Anything else, you can live without for a weekend or so. But if you’re missing any of these it’s not going to be a fun time. Trust me on this one.

Don’t bring your laptop anywhere, unless you’re settling in for daily life at the destination. For short trips, they’re useless: heavy, easily breakable, large, and easy targets for thieves. If you have a smartphone, use that instead. Even if you’re on airplane mode the entire time you’re in Europe, free Wi-Fi is easy to find. 

In General

Buy a little padlock. You can get sets of two in Walmart for about five dollars, each lock a bit larger than a thumbnail. Keep them with you in your purse or coat. You can use them to lock your backpack in a crowd, or your checked bag on a flight, or your purse, or your hostel locker.

If you use purses or messenger bags, bring a bag with a strap long enough to wear across your chest rather than over one shoulder. Make sure the strap is too thick to be easily cut or snapped by someone sprinting past you. Your bag should be sealed with a zipper, not a flap: nothing a thief could slip their hand into while you were distracted. If there are vulnerable external pockets, only keep things in them that no one will want to steal, like pennies, pens, and tampons.

Unless you’re going to Northern Europe in winter you don’t need to bring a very heavy coat. It will become dead weight as soon as the weather changes. In most of Europe, a pea coat and scarf over a few layers will keep you warm and remain useful for longer. Check average monthly temperatures for the region if you’re unsure. You should also bring a raincoat, ideally one that folds up very small.