So you want to go abroad… now what?! The whole idea seems fun, adventurous, and a little scary. There is a ton of planning and preparation that goes into spending time overseas to travel, sightsee, party, eat… lots, meet new people, vacation, oh and the obvious – study! Maybe you want to study abroad but have no clue how to make it happen. Or maybe you are like me and have known since forever that studying abroad would definitely be on your college to-do list.
My name is Kiersten and, like I said before, I have always wanted to study abroad. The time has finally come for me to start the actual planning process and I could not be more excited. I’m learning all sorts of things as I go and I want to share my experiences to help all of you future study abroad-ers throughout the process! Before you can really get into the fun stuff regarding your travels abroad, there are five key things you need to do first.
1. Where in the world do you want to go? If you live for warm weather and are in desperate need of escaping our lovely Michigan winters then maybe Australia or New Zealand (whose summer is during our winter) is the place for you. Any European country is perfect for those of you who want to take this opportunity to visit as many places as humanly possible. The countries are all a train or fairly easy plane ride away. This is the route I chose and will be going with one of my best friends to Barcelona, Spain this January! No matter which way you go, don’t worry – any place you choose will be fun and unique to what you are looking to gain from the experience.
2. Choose your program. Congrats on making the first big and exciting decision in this process! Now you need to determine which program to study abroad through. First, check if the University of Michigan offers a program at your chosen location. Any and all information you need to know regarding programs through the university can be found at the Center for Global and Intercultural Study (CGIS). However, if your location isn’t offered that is okay too! There are tons of other programs to choose from. All this requires is a little research to find the right one for you. Click herefor some links to get you started.
3. Take care of the busy-work. This is the tedious part of the process that may get a little hectic and not be quite as much fun. Whether your program is through UM or not, be prepared to fill out lots of paperwork and applications. Expect to get a routine physical beforehand (most of the time this can be done just around the corner at UHS). Also, you will need to choose your classes. If you are not going through UM read up on how to request for transfer creditand make sure this all gets approved before you leave. Lastly, think about what type of housing arrangements you will want to do. For most locations you can choose between an apartment, homestays (living with an actual local family), or a residency hall.
4. If needed, renew your passport. I know this is a fairly obvious tip but that does not make it any less important. You must have your passport to study abroad – not only can you not reach your destination without it, but it will also become your #1 travel companion when visiting other places. If your passport is within 6 months of expiring from the date of your return, you definitely need to apply for a new one. Typically it takes 4-6 weeks to receive the new passport, but if you don’t leave enough time you can expedite it to arrive in about 2 weeks (but for an additional cost of course!). Any other answers to your questions can be found here.
5. Make travel arrangements. Now comes the fun part… finally taking all of your hard preparation and putting it into action. First and foremost book your airplane ticket! The earlier you book the better deals you will probably find. Oftentimes there are specific websites tailored to students looking for discount flights with flexibility in dates – one specifically is STAtravel.com. By this time you will have been accepted into the program and should have a tentative schedule specifying all the important dates you need to know. Make sure you are in the location on the day the orientation starts… remember most places to study abroad require about a full day’s worth of travel so plan accordingly. Look into your breaks and begin the pre-planning for outside travels and maybe even visits from family and friends!