The world is your playground. Why shouldn’t you explore it as much as you can? Francesca Fetzner will be your guide to studying abroad in your college years. From making the decision to choosing a site, this blog will provide you with all the information you need! Drop a comment or send an email to ask questions!
Thinking about leaving behind your family, friends and country for four months out of the year is a pretty daunting decision. What about all the parties your going to miss? The activities? The family celebrations? What about all the opportunities in America you’ll miss out on for four months? Ok, now that all those questions are out of your system, let’s look at this realistically.
How often will you have a chance to leave your comfort zone; to pick up and just go to another country? The time and the means to do so become more and more scarce as you progress through college, and most of the time you’ll have to wait until you have a job to be able to go overseas. No easy task once you’re being paid at a full-time job… you only get so many vacation days.
The opportunities you’re afraid of missing in America? They are greatly outweighed by the chance to study abroad. Most people have the, “coulda, woulda, shoulda” mindset once they leave college, and I know from talking to some graduates that traveling was on that list. They gave up that opportunity for something that they thought was more important, and they regretted it. Any opportunity worth having is going to come with difficult choices. The question stands then: Should you take a chance and study abroad, or will you become another shoulda, woulda, coulda?
I was nearing the end of my senior year of high school when I decided that no matter what, I was going to study abroad. My Freshman year I made all the arrangements, and fall semester of my Sophomore year, I ended up in Rome, Italy. I know that studying abroad is not for everyone. That’s why when you’re deciding whether or not to do it, you should bear in mind the following things:
Study abroad programs are not available at every college. If you’re even slightly interested, you need to find a place where the program is available. Collegeboard.com is a great resource that will help you to narrow down your search for the perfect study abroad program. Also, you have to make sure the school your looking at has the location that you want. For me it worked out well because my school has a campus in Rome. However, if I wanted to go anywhere in Germany, I’d have to do more research since we don’t have a campus there. Some schools are very spread out with the programs that they offer. They may have a program in just one country, or they may have programs in Berlin, Munich, London, Prague… a plethora of opportunity!
You also need to consider when the best time is for you to study abroad. Some programs offer core classes 
at their study abroad sites, and some offer advanced classes. Talk with your advisor. Let him or her know that you would like to study abroad and see what works best with your schedule and your major. Some schools have programs that are perfectly set for the major of your choice. For example, there is a school that allows its seniors to study abroad in Berlin, offering higher level classes. Another school has a program exclusively for education majors that allows them to study abroad in Ireland their junior or senior year. My programs worked well for sophomores looking to take core classes abroad, and that worked best for me at the time, so that’s the one that I chose.
College freshman are traditionally not allowed to study abroad, so make sure you’re taking a personal 
inventory on how well you’re coping being away from home. College is a new culture, and much like going into a new country, you’ll experience a degree of culture shock. Studying abroad can take two to four months of your life. That’s two to four months away from home and away from your comfort zone. Eventually the country you’re in will become your comfort zone, but it can be difficult to adjust. Can you be away from your family and friends for that long? Remember that nowadays, it is a lot easier to keep in touch with people, with Facebook, MySpace, email and an online service not a lot of college students utilize, Skype. This tool allows you to talk through your computer so that you don’t have to buy an international calling card, another option to communicate with your loved ones
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