Study Abroad or College Abroad?
When I was a Bachelor’s student, I had the opportunity to spend a trimester College abroad at Flensburg University in Germany. I was studying German at the time and thought it would be easy once I was accepted to the exchange program. But several things stood in my way. First, I hadn’t anticipated the cost. I was told that because there were very…
Unspoken Rules in Study Abroad
“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say” —Ralph Waldo Emerson Before you go abroad, it is important to know the unspoken rules within the customs and culture. Most of the time, we don’t think twice about what we’re doing, let alone how it might be offensive. If you knew that direct eye contact was…
Re-entry: Four tips for helping students cope
While adjusting to life abroad may be rough, coming home is often even harder for many students, especially after a life-changing study abroad experience. Here are four strategies that I have used to help students prepare for the difficulties of returning home. 1. Talk about it. This strategy may seem obvious, but is often ignored. Plenty of talk goes into…
Pre-Departure Orientation: A Faculty Led Essential
Pre-Departure Orientation is arguably one of the most important, yet often overlooked or glazed over aspects of a faculty led abroad program. It is essential not only for the students, but for the benefit of the leaders. It is a time to set the tone for the program, lay out expectations, procedures and for faculty leaders to get organized and…
Why quality?
When I last checked, GoAbroad.com had 17,823 verified programs and 12,277 reviews. Abroad101.com had 27,200+ program reviews. The programs that are most visible are those paying big bucks for advertising. Indeed, study abroad has evolved into big business, and although many of us educators never liked or agreed with this, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Even university…
Payment Technology That Makes Cents for Group Travel
Before a group can enjoy a faculty-led trip, there is the issue of the logistics: finalizing group size and coordinating payment. For professors and faculty members bringing a group of students abroad, managing these logistics can be a daunting task – daunting enough to deter some faculty from signing up to lead the trip. Professors do have resources they can…
Creating Access to Global Education 2015 @ UT-Austin
The 2015 edition of the University of Texas at Austin’s Creating Access to Global Education Symposium, which took place on September 25, 2015, focused on opening up student access across Latin America. While difficult to believe, the most recent Open Doors Report for the 2012-13 academic year indicates that 26,281 students from U.S. institutions of higher education studied abroad in…
Pros and Cons of Studying Abroad for Graduate Students
You have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study abroad, yet you aren’t sure whether or not this is a good option for you. After searching for that perfect program, there are a number of variables in studying overseas you should consider as a graduate student before packing your bags. For instance, should you travel to a country that speaks a different…
Let’s Talk About Budgeting Your Faculty Led Program!
Planning and managing a budget is a difficult endeavor in general, but add to that the excitement and unexpected adventures you are sure to encounter while abroad and creating and sticking to a budget just became ten times more difficult. Not to mention that you will be responsible for managing trip costs for every student who accompanies you! As…
Study Abroad Internships and all the Rave
In addition to studying abroad, students may choose to intern abroad for academic credit. More universities are approving international internships, in addition to domestic ones, and some are even offering academic credit for volunteer experiences and service learning. There is a broad range of options from working full-time or part-time while taking regular courses abroad. If you are required to…