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“Students immediately think international fees are going to be huge, but of course that depends on where you go.”
ALLOW TIME TO PLAN
Another difference between a university exchange and an overseas education experience organized with the assistance of a study abroad organization is the lead-time needed. Selby recommends that you start planning about a year in advance to ensure that you meet any deadline that you may encounter—though it’s not unheard of that students do it in a shorter amount of time. But DuMond says that deadlines when applying through a study abroad organization are often more flexible than a formal exchange. “We don’t need that much advance warning, students can apply rather close to when they want to leave.”
Bill Clabby, Executive Vice President for Research and Special Programs with International Studies Abroad (ISA), another study abroad organization, acknowledges that you might not need too much lead time to plan and apply, but you might want to plan ahead in order to maximize your options. “To be safe, start at the beginning of college. For example, if you want to go to Spain and study with Spaniards, you might need to take Spanish for two years before being able to go. With a non-Western language, typically you’d need three
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years of college-level language before you could take classes in that language,” says Clabby.
Clabby recommends that students become savvy consumers and look at what each study abroad organization offers in terms of academics, financial considerations and support. Ask yourself what courses are offered and what courses you need to fulfill. This might include getting syllabi, course descriptions and information about course content that meet your home university’s requirements.
In terms of the financial side, don’t just look at the programme fee, but check out which sources of financial aid or funding you can take with you. Lastly, consider how much support you might need through the process and when you’re away—do you want to be picked up from the airport? Do you need help finding housing? Would you like an orientation programme? According to Clabby, quality study abroad organizations will have experienced support staff in the host country, who are available to help students at any time.
At the end of the student’s international experience—whether it’s
on a formal exchange or through a study abroad organization—the academic courses the student has taken need to be assessed by the home university. Selby explains that at Queen’s University, students who take courses abroad are assessed on a pass/fail basis—so it wouldn’t affect a student’s grade point average (GPA). This is something to check with your own university. Selby also recommends that students get a transcript of marks from courses taken abroad because it may be useful when applying to academic programmes in the future.
The process of applying to go abroad may seem intimidating, but your international office is there to guide you through the process. Once you’ve finished the maze of paperwork and you have the opportunity to actually live in another country, it’ll all be worth it in the end.
DuMond is adamant that it’s an experience that will forever change your perspective on life, whether it’s through a university exchange programme or a study abroad organization. “Just go,” encourages DuMond. “No matter what you do, do your homework and go. It’s going to change your life.”
FOCUS ON : Study Abroad
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