Most of the students are incredibly excited to study abroad and to experience a new culture. Not only will you be embarking on an adventure you'll never forget, but you'll also be learning a lot and expanding your horizons in the process. You may be nervous about studying abroad because you know you'll be stepping out of your comfort zone, but that's only natural. If you'd like to know how to study abroad the right way, follow these tips.
1 Select the correct and Right Study abroad Plan
This is the most important step. You'll have to decide what program is best for you — not what program is best for your twenty closest friends in college. You'll have to pick the program you want to do, and the city where you'll be studying. Here's how to decide
If you're not majoring in a foreign language or interested in one particular foreign culture, do some research. Look through travel guides and search the Internet to see what city appeals to you. Once you've narrowed your list down to a few places, ask around to see if you know anyone who did the program you were thinking of, and ask how it was.
If you are already majoring or minoring in a foreign language, it's likely that you'll want to study in a country where that language is spoken. You need to check to see how many credits toward your major or minor you will receive from each program.
You can also decide if you want to do a program directly through your school or through another college. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you choose a program through your own college, it's likely that your credits will transfer more easily, that you'll be around some people you know and will feel more comfortable, and that you'll have to do a lot less paperwork to get the process approved. If you choose a program outside of your university, you may have more options to choose from and will be more adventurous because you'll be studying with a group of people you've never met, but you'll have to do more work to find and apply to the program.
Once you choose your program and fill out your application, you'll have to ask about the student visa requirements and make sure to have a current passport. Each country is different so figure this out well in advance.
2 Begin to immerse yourself in the local culture.
You can start preparing for your study abroad trip months in advance. Not only will this make you more prepared to embark on your foreign journey, but it will also make you more pumped to begin your adventure. Here's what you can do
- Brush up your language skills. If you need to know a foreign language in your country of choice, take a language class and practice speaking it on your own. Watch movies in the language to help your comprehension skills
- Take a class about the culture. If your school offers a course about the history or art of the culture, you should jump at the opportunity.
- Try some cuisine from the culture. If you're in the right place, it won't be too hard to try some local fare from thousands miles away. Give it a try and get used to the thought of eating it every day.
- Hang out with friends who are also studying in the same country or city. You can start immersing yourselves in the country together.
3 Prepare for your destination city:
Once you know where you'll be living, read everything you can about the city. Read blogs online, get travel books, and read up on the history of the city. This will give you a stronger appreciation of where you're going, and of all the cool stuff you'll have to do once you get there.
- Create a bucket list. Make a list of at least twenty things you just have to do in the city before you leave.
- Mark all the pages in your travel books that show places that you just have to see.
- Talk to other people who have lived in or studied in the city before. Write down their recommendations.
- Read up on the weather in your destination city. This will help you know what clothes to pack.
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