Study Abroad. Have you, could you, would you?

For years I’ve been fascinated with the concept of studying abroad, I think studying in another country can enrich your life and career in many ways and I have plans to do a year in America once I’ve finished my degree as part of a Graduate Scholarship Program providing my grades stay good enough.

So who has studied abroad? Where did you go, and what were you studying? Why did you pick that particular place? Who wants to study abroad? Why haven’t you gone?

I would have loved the experience, and if i had the chance, at just about any country i would have jumped at it. Unfortunately it never tied in well to my educational experience, and funds are rather low.

I would personally love to study abroad, but it is a lot of money most of the time. Furthermore, I am not fluent in any language other than English. I can speak some Spanish and could probably carry on a semi-intelligible conversation, but nothing spectacular or overly-respectable.

Another reason could be that some majors are much better suited for studying abroad than others are. Majors such as Business or Education lend themselves to studying abroad much better than others. I am just not in the best position to get involved in this.

I think living or travelling abroad would be just as exciting as studying abroad. I'll just have to get a degree and some money first.

i studied abroad in barcelona, summer after my freshman year to finish up the foreign language requirement. and it was awesome!! i will without a doubt say it was the best thing i've done during my time at college (3 weeks til graduation). in my opinion, people should go no matter what major they are...just as long as they have the right mindset.

i was an engineering major at the time, and my dept. actually had some grant thing which paid for my flight. while you're in a foreign country, you pick up the language much more quickly than in any classroom here; you're forced to use it every day. also, there's nothing but that language all around you, so you take it in all the time as well. bottom line: if you're even thinking about it...you should definitely go. i totally reqret not having gone somewhere for a semester...one month was definitely not enough. and a benefit of being in barcelona was that ibiza was really close...went there for a weekend, which was sweet.

I'm studying abroad right now in Hong Kong and I've been here for the past year and will be studying in Shanghai over the summer. I love it out here, though it's never really felt as if I've been immersed in a different culture, since it's extremely Western out here. I've got to do a lot of things and meet a lot of people I would never have the chance to do back home.

Though this sounds bad, there are also a lot of perks to being a young white guy out here and you tend to get lot of attention and treated really well. I will also always love this place because this is where I met the girl that I don't see myself being without in the foreseeable future. Being out here has also reinforced the idea that I belong in East Asia, and will be moving back out here as soon as I finish school in a year.

This is something I plan on doing next year. I travelled around the world last year, and fell in love with New York. Since I've got back to Australia, I've figured the only way I could realistically stay there for any length of time would be through study. I've already applied for the program my uni runs, and I hope to be at NYU next year.
I really hope I'm sucessful with this

Abroad in Denmark from the US at the moment.
Have been here since late August and can say, without a doubt, that it has been the best thing I have ever done.

Ive had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world who are also studying here and also to immerse myself into a different culture. The Danish language is pretty difficult as it sounds like a series of mumbles, but luckily, the Danes are exposed to english at a young age in school and they do not dub the movies or television shows. I have picked up a bit of the language, but mostly find myself talking english. It is actually more helpful for the people around me to practice english than it is for me to learn Danish fluently, since there are maybe 20 million people in the world who can actually understand it (including the swedes, norweigians, and Icelandics) and the fact that most business worldwide is conducted in English nowadays.

In addition, living in northern Europe has allowed me to see many different countries as it is quite accessible by train and there are also cheap flights on the continent. Over the course of the past 8 months, I have made memorable friends with people from many countries, so I will always have someone to visit if I make a holiday to Europe, which is the greatest thing!

So, if anyone is considering doing time abroad, then fucking do it! There is so much more to experience in the world!

One last note - I am preparing a survey as part of my studies. The course is Consumer Research and my topic is going to cover the consumption habits of the neo-tribe of clubbers. If anyone is interested in helping me collect samples, then please send me a private message. I plan to post the results when I am finished in June. Thanks in advance
-daniel

I would have loved to have gone abroad but I couldn't afford it during my undergrad degree. Now that I've hit my PhD, I don't think that I will be able to do it because my topic is quite specific

If I get the chance to go I will not hesitate as it is something that I definitely feel that I will benefit from

CB

Just a little advice for anyone considering studying abroad--don't get caught in the trap of only hanging around other international students and getting involved in the expat nightlife scene. My first semester out here I was only hanging around with mostly other kids from California and I feel as if I missed out on a lot.

I made sure not to do that this semester and I feel as if I've gotten much more out of my experience. I completely detached myself from the expat scene (which is huge in HK) and began going to clubs which are filled almost completely with locals (albeit triads & their bitches. . . but that's about as local as you can get in hk). At this club we spend a lot of our time in, me and my friend are usually the only white people in the club full of about 800-1000 people. Because of this, people are very curious to talk with us and we've had the greatest time out here. I'm sure my parents wouldn't be too happy that 90% of my local friends are gangsters and K-whores, but it's still been quite the experience none-the-less and one that very few people will ever get to experience.

So yes, I would agree with anyone else who says that given the opportunity to study abroad, you should not hesitate to take it. As mentioned in another post, travelling around to various countries in your area is a great benefit as well. Hong Kong is centrally located and is within 2 hours of most East/Southeast Asian countries and it's very cheap to travel from here.

Not going abroad i one of the few regrets i have. i figured i was having so much fun at school (plus i was in love with this girl that i didnt want to leave) so i passed it up.

STUDY ABROAD. JUST DO IT.

just think of how difficult it will be in your life to take one, two, three, four months, even a year away from the united states, and on top of it GET MONEY AND/OR LOANS to do so. the real world and their two week vacations a year have nothing on study abroad. you are in the country as a student, and not a tourist, and have a host of opportunity at your feet. i have studied abroad 4 times and i'm going on my 5th trip this summer (cuba; costa rica; guanajuato, mexico; gdl, mexico, and back to gdl this summer) and these experiences have changed me as a human being--and i'm actually graduating early because of study abroad, while earning two bachelor's degrees (and smoking a helluva lot of pot).

and study abroad in developing countries like those in latin america can be quite affordable. i paid $1286 for 12 credits in mexico this past semester (and then rent for a place to live--$200/mo).

i remember before i had studied abroad that i thought i'd miss too much of what was going on in my little collegiate world here at Pitt to ever leave. but dont let other people keep you from spending some time away getting to know yourself. study abroad was the best thing i've ever done.

I'm in the midst of planning/getting my shit together to study abroad in one of two places - Kingston University in London, or, where I would much rather go, University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Not only is Utrecht a 30 minute train ride away from Amsterdam, but they have a fucking bar in the cafeteria! It also has really good classes. If all goes well, (which I'm about 90 percent sure it will) I should be attendending school there next January.

Study, work, swim, hijack, apply for refugee status ... just GET OUT OF THE FIRST WORLD. Time in developing nations will change your outlook on the world more than any drug.

My fiance is in israel right now studying abroad at ben gourion university. I love him and miss him dearly.

I would say, go for it. and do it. He had dreamed about doing this for ever, and ever, and he is doing it. I love him and hes doign waht he wanted to do and he said that it was one of the best expeirences he has ever done, and i live it too, becuase i hear everything he does,,, it seems soooo great

DO IT

simply_rhythmatik speaks the truth
I spent much of my first semester hanging out with other international students (although they were predominantly from other European countries), but I learned that it would be much more beneficial of an experience ot make friends with the locals. This has created a ever-growing network of friends and the party never seems to stop.

It is also quite nice being a foreigner as you will find there are many people eager to converse with you.

I would highly reccommend studying abroad if it is at all possible. I am currently studying abroad from the states in the U.K. and I have gotten to see a lot of Europe and the U.K. and learned to view my home country in a much different light. I have very much enjoyed my time here and I am not really looking forward to the time when I have to go home. I have made some good friends and learned more in these past four months as far as life experiences go than my past three years at my home university. Go for it if it is possible.

Study abroad, it's the shit. I'm writing this while working in the study abroad office at my university. Usually it's not much more expensive if at all than attending your home school - the way this place does it is you pay the same tuition as usual and then pay the foreign institution's room and board on your own. Even when I was in London this wasn't any more expensive (though if I'd gone in the spring it would have been). In less developed countries your experience can be rather cheap because of exchange rates. Shame with the euro though, lately, as well as the pound... the dollar has fallen through the floor.

In any case, go for it.

In August, I will leave for OSAKA, JAPAN... I will be studying at KANSAI GAIDAI university for 2 semesters. I cannot even explain how fukcing excited I am about this. THE PSY-TRANCE/GOA scene in JAPAN is increadible... Nuff said.

ARE ANY OTHER BLUELIGHTERS GOING TO BE THERE???

SPEAK UP


Sorry about all the caps.


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I spent my junior year abroad studing at the London School of Economics & Political Science. I chose the LSE because it has one of the best reputations for my major - Government as it is called there. I absolutely loved London and aspire to moving back to the UK. Unfortunately, the LSE was really really difficult and I did not have the typical 'abroad' experience. I would spend approximately 6 hours a day at the library studying and did not have much time to travel due to papers and other assignments. Once I dropped a class, I had much more free time and was able to bartend at a pub near my flat. This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip - slinging pints in a pub packed with people watching the English footballers in the World Cup. I would highly recommend going abroad to anyone who is considering it. Enmesh yourself in the culture and it can be a life-altering experience.

have you? No.
could you?Yes, if i saved up.
would you?Yes definately. I lived with several American exchange students last year and I've seen 1st hand that it is truly a great experience. Initially I wanted to go to the US, but now I am thinking anywhere that speaks Spanish or possibly to Hong Kong.

:D