Are you interested in visiting or studying abroad in another country?
Answering yes to this question is, what I believe to be, the foundation of the studying abroad process. Studying abroad has changed my life, and I have made it a goal to encourage student in both high school and college to try to get out and see the world.
My first international experience was during the summer after 9th grade. I went on a program, through ISE, with my school to Spain for 3 weeks. I was really interested in Spain particularly because of my own background. My grandmother is a first-generation American. Her parents were both from Spain and migrated to the United States as children in the mid to late 1800s. It was after finding this information that I decided to take Spanish language courses throughout high school, and right after 9th grade, I had the opportunity to experience and see Spanish culture for myself.
The next time that I went abroad was to South Korea during my third year of college at Korean University which is when I started this blog. I was really struggling with finding a major and didn't want to waste time taking courses at my home institution that weren't going to go towards my major. I decided to go to South Korea because of my slight obsession with Korean pop-culture and language. Not only was I able to finally select a major, I was also able to get courses that I took at Korea University approved to go towards it after returning to the United States and my home university. On top of everything I was able to achieve academically, I also snagged a job at my university's study abroad center, meet awesome people who I still connect with today, and I have a ton of memories that I'll never forget.
Traveling internationally to me is like getting tattoos or piercings to some individuals; it's addicting. After you go once and have a great time, you'll want to do it more and more! This was that case when I decided to volunteer in Guatemala. I wanted to go to a country unlike the ones that I had been to at the time, and I also really wanted to get a first hand experience of how an international nonprofit organization was operated. My career goals are to one day work for an international health advocacy organization and to eventually start my own. So going to Guatemala to volunteer showed me not only how this type of organization worked, but also the impact that it had on the community and the lives that they touched.
Going abroad is life changing! It's something that everyone should experience in their life. I'm not talking about being a tourist, but an actual part of a community. But don't get me wrong - sometimes being a tourist can be fun. It's just that you get more of a personal experience when you're not just in a country to view major sites and shop. I strongly encourage all who are interested in going abroad to find out how to do so. Don't let anything stop you from going, including finances. I am not rich and have never been. Before I went to South Korea, both my electricity and heat were off, but I didn't let that keep me from going.
Now that I'm don rambling and lecturing, below is information on how you can start to study abroad or traveling abroad through an educational institution or organization. I have divided the information up into three sections:
High School Students
So you're in high school and you want to study abroad . . . well this may not be the most tangible thing. You most likely won't be able to study abroad for a semester or longer as I have, but you can have a chance to spend some time outside of the country. As previously stated, my first time going abroad was in 9th grade through a language class. This will be the easiest way to get international cultural experience as a high school student.
Check with you school's language instructors and find out if there are any programs that they know of that send high school students to another country. You can also check with other high schools. The program that I went on included two other high school groups of about four students each, and there was one student from a high school without any other students joining her. You can also check with you school's academic administration like guidance counselors.
I would be hesitant to do a Google search to find programs as there are many scams. If you decide to take this track, have an adult and your school look it over for verification of its legitimacy.
CIEE offers programs to high school students. It is a legitimate and trustworthy organization.
College Students
College students have the easiest access to studying abroad. My first recommendation would be to check to see if your school has a study abroad or learning abroad department/office. Most major colleges and universities usually have these. If your institution does not have an international learning center, I would then recommend speaking with your academic adviser to see if he or she has any suggestions or knows of any programs that previous students have done.
If none of the above options work, I then recommend that you look into learning abroad centers at other institutions. At the Learning Abroad Center and the University of Minnesota, they have select programs that non U of M students can apply for. This should also be the case of other larger state universities or colleges with study abroad departments. I think that if all fails at your university, this is the next best and low-risk thing. Doing a Google search can have its risks. To prevent you from getting scammed and taken advantage of, here is a list of major legitimate study abroad programs that are affiliates with the University of Minnesota. It's extremely hard to be recognized by the U of M's Learning Abroad Center, so I'm not hesitant to offer these programs to you all.
CIEE | programs in Africa, Asia, Pacific, Europe, and Middle East
GlobaLinks | programs in Asia, Pacific, and Europe
Please note: I was not sponsored or asked to provide the information on this page from any of the organizations mentioned. These recommendations are from my personal experience as a learning abroad peer adviser at one of the top learning abroad departments in the United States.
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