The word “international” can bring up a lot of different ideas: diversity, awareness, trade networks, and politics, to name a few. And although many associate all these words with “international”, traveling is also something that many of us think of.
When it comes to choosing colleges, a school’s study abroad program can be one of the many deciding factors when it comes to determining where to go. On top of the other benefits of going to UM, we also have a great study abroad program. So, in celebration of International Week here on campus, I decided to check out what exactly your options are if you’re one of the wanderers.
The first thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of options. Faculty organized trips abroad are popular because they’re varied and focused in content, and because you travel as a group. These trips also tend to be shorter, cheaper than spending an entire year or semester abroad, and they also tend to be lead during our vacations, like Winter Break or over summer break. Trips that faculty have lead in the past include a winter session trip touring Rome and Florence, trekking in the Himalayas, studying in Austria and Germany, and a month long trip to Vietnam. If you have any questions on one of the trips, you can contact the staff in International Programs, but the best way to get clear answers is contacting the professor leading the trip.
For those interested in longer, more independent excursions abroad, UM offers two programs to study abroad through. The major difference between these options is the cost and the process.
The first of these programs is through Partner Universities. This is a very individual option because the student chooses the university and the courses, and there are over 50 universities around the world that you can chose from. There are two different ways to go about studying abroad at a Partner University: one can “exchange” and pay their tuition at UM (scholarships such as the WUE are all still applicable), but pay for room and board through the foreign university. Or, the other option is to “study abroad” and pay the full tuition and room and board with the other university. The lingo of these options can be confusing, but ultimately what it comes down to is decided which option is the cheapest and most affordable for you. You fan find more information about Partner Universities with UM here, and a list of the universities here. With both options you get to chose where you want to go and what courses you take, but one option may be cheaper than the other, depending on your financial situation.
The second of the study abroad programs offered through UM is with the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which is a national program directed outside of Washington, D.C. ISEP is essentially a network that you become a member of that will facilitate education abroad opportunities for you with over 180 schools to chose from. Studying with ISEP gives you more options. And again, there are two different paths to take if you chose to go through ISEP to study abroad. You can “exchange” and pay tuition, room, and board at UM, while a student from the university you want to go to will pay the tuition, room, and board at their school. Basically, by paying at your own school but taking classes at a different school in a different country, you are making room for another student to study at Montana. The only downfall with this is that you, though marginally, still have to depend on another person wanting to leave their university to study elsewhere.
You can also go “direct” with ISEP. If you go direct, you pay tuition at the university abroad. This would be ideal if paying for the university abroad would be cheaper than paying for tuition at UM. There’s also the advantage of not having to rely on someone else at a university to exchange. For more information on ISEP, check out UM’s page or ISEP’s page.
With all of the options of both countries and ways to study abroad, it can be hard to chose where to go and what program to go through. Linda Ellersick at the International Program recommends starting with a priority list. What’s the most important to you? The climate, the courses, the culture, the language, or how how much it will cost? Once you have this down, check out the main map at the International Program’s home page, and start clicking on regions and countries where you would be interested in studying and living for an extended period of time. Once you find somewhere, if you don’t already know where you’d like to study abroad, compare the programs UM offers there. Would it be better to go with ISEP, or through a Partner University? Is a Partner University even available in this country? What kind of courses could you take? Eventually, you’ll compile a list of universities that you’re interested in. Explore their websites and the city as much as you can on the internet. There’s also a resource library at the International Center on campus with information on the universities and programs offered, if you need more information. Slowly but surely, you’ll narrow your search down. If you decide to go with a Partner University, Ellersick recommends choosing 1-3 universities to apply to. If you decide to go through ISEP, Ellersick recommends choosing 3-10 universities to apply for. (Ellersick does, however, suggest only applying for either Partner Universities or ISEP universities per semester, lest the paper work and politics get too complicated.) Once you fill out the applications, most of which are available online, you can start searching for scholarships.
The deadlines tend to be early, so if you’re interested in studying abroad, it doesn’t hurt to start looking into it.
College can offer a girl a lot of things, but the chance to live and study in another country for a semester, or even two, is not an opportunity we’ll get many times after leaving school. Going to school at UM provides us with awesome opportunities to study abroad, and maybe even keep it cheap too.
For more information on studying abroad, check out the International Programs website. There are also informational meetings every week on Tuesdays at 4:00, Wednesdays at 12:00, and Thursdays at 4:00 at the International Center in Room 113.