It is important that students choose an appropriate study abroad program to get the most out of an international experience. Because there are a variety of program types, structures, locations, and requirements… it is worth the time and effort it takes to find a study program that meets your individual academic and personal needs.
Study Abroad Programs have distinctive characteristics, like students, and thus it is important to find the right “match” between the student and the program. Your friend, or sister, or teacher may have participated in a program that was “absolutely great” for them, but may not be a good fit for you. Thus, a glowing recommendation from someone who went on a program is not necessarily the most appropriate approach to choosing a program.
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1. Read Up. Read up about your study abroad destination. Try and read the local newspaper and familiarize yourself with the general state of affairs in the country and city you will be visiting. Pick up a travel book, like a Lonely Planet, to get to know the major monuments, transportation, local sites, as well as the good and bad areas of town. Read RateYourStudyAbroad.com’s reviews of your program and other programs in the area, as well as other blogs devoted to the student experience abroad. Check out Glimpse.org, abroadview.org, and transitionsabroad.com for first hand accounts of student expats and their experiences while abroad. Not only will you be able to converse with the locals better, enhance your own experience with insight into the cultural quirks of your country, but you will be more in the know compared to your other study abroad participants.
2. Travel. There is no easier time in your life to travel than when you are young, have the time, are willing to go the extra mile to save a few bucks and adventurous enough to check out the out of the way towns and festivals. If you are in Europe, head over to Munich for Okterberfest in the fall, check out hiking the Alps in October, before the ski crowds, high prices, and cold move in, go to the Greek Islands in May before the crowds roll in and when the weather is great or Southern Spain in the winter months. Investigate opportunities for cheap travel within your region. Check out RateYourStudyAbroad.com’s Helpful Links section for links to websites and resources for low cost airline, lodging, package travel, as well as travel blogs. Don’t forget that much of the world travels by train and bus, which can be both cost effective and one of the more interesting cultural experiences you will have. There is nothing quite like sitting on a 10 hour bus ride with a family and the family pet pig or catching a taking an overnight train to your destination and bundling up the cost of lodging and transportation all in one.
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Your study abroad Japan experience will not only take you to the world’s tenth most populated country, but it will also take you to a land that values both deep-rooted traditions and modern-day progressions.
Your semester abroad can include visiting Sens%u014D-ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple that features the Kaminarimon Gate, a massive entrance that is decorated with traditional paper lanterns and huge statues of Japanese gods.
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