Need to get out of Dodge? Here's a simple guide to studying abroad

By Lindsay Meintel

March 14, 2005 | People often say travel is the best form of education. To see the world, other cultures, forcing yourself to be independent, it's all part of the education you gain from traveling the world. So why not get the travel, while getting an education, for the same price you would pay to get the education at Utah State University? If you are thinking this sounds like a pretty good deal, then the answer is simple: study abroad.

The benefits of studying abroad are countless and to review them is redundant. It should be widely known that one will gain the experience of a lifetime by participating in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However one may not know the steps to go about the study abroad process. While the rewards are great, the process can be long and involved. It's this process that has inspired this "how-to" article for the study abroad process. If some other student finds it easier, because of this student-to student guide, to begin and follow through with the study abroad program, then it is a success.

To begin the process, do some research. To begin, try visiting the Utah State Study Abroad page for prospective students. This page gives you things to start thinking about to narrow down your search. You can also print this worksheet to help you focus your goals and your purpose for studying abroad.

Kay Forsyth, director of the study abroad program at USU says, "Sometime before you go you have to meet with an academic advisor." Talk to an advisor who can sit down with you and map out what sort of program you can do, and how many credits you need to take to stay on track with graduating. You will have a better idea of what to look for while you search these sites.

Here you must decide the program you want to do. This decision can be based on a number of things such as the region, cost, and courses offered for any of these programs. According to the USU Web site for studying abroad, there are four types of programs that can be done through Utah State.

The first is partner schools. These are institutions abroad that have an agreement specifically with [Utah State] to exchange students one-for-one. Depending on the activity of the partnership, availability of open sites can vary. Program costs vary for each university based on that university's agreement with USU. Cost can be based on USU tuition only, tuition and room or tuition, room, and board."

The next is consortial exchange programs. This is a fancy name for a program called the International Student Exchange Program, (ISEP). This program works like partner schools, however it goes through the ISEP system and tuition is based on USU tuition, room and board.

The next is called a partner program which is a program in which USU has an official agreement to make it easier to apply and transfer grades back, yet set their own application, pricing and deadlines for acceptance. You still must get started with these programs through the Study Abroad Office.

"Costs are much higher than [Utah State] exchange programs, but offer more choices in higher demand countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand."

Finally there are non-affiliated programs which are found via the Internet, or a study abroad fair for example. Caution should be used when dealing with these programs as credits may not transfer, and federal financial aid may not be used. All credits and courses should be handled by your advisor and not the Study Abroad Office.

Now that you have done your research and you have looked into what programs and courses are available for the country or region you want to go to, potential costs and talked to an advisor about credits and timing, you are on your way to the semester or summer program of your life.

The next step in the study abroad process would be to narrow down your list . This may be the most difficult part of the entire process because how are you supposed to know which foreign school is best for you? It's like starting your college search all over again. Don't fear, there are some things you can do to make this process easier. Forsyth said students come into her office with all types of situations. Some have specific countries, regions, and places they want to study while some just know what they want to do or study, but are willing to go anywhere. "This all plays a role in the decision making process," she said.

The ISEP website is ideal for this stage. It allows you to pick a field of study, type in the language you want to study in, and it will give you a list of schools that offer that program in the language you want. From there you can look at the individual websites for region, culture, student life, etc.

Keeping in mind this process might take some time, just like your college decision, after you have chosen a list of schools you might like to attend it is now time to actually apply. Yes, applications are necessary and in some cases so are essays, recommendations, and resumes. The applications for the ISEP program are due Feb. 15 and Sept. 1 for the respective U.S. fall and spring semesters. For more details and fine print, look at Instep's application timeline. As noted, different programs will have different deadlines and it is important to take notice of when yours is due.

Shannon Collyer, a USU student currently enduring the study abroad application process said she tried to apply last spring. She, however, waited to follow through on her desire to go abroad and missed the deadline by one day. Don't let this happen to you!

This process may all may seem overwhelming right now, but don't stress yet. You can get basically any question answered by professionals while looking at articles of people who have gone through this experience before by simply visiting the Study Abroad Easy Web site. A suitable name for a website on how to make studying abroad easy, wouldn't you agree? Here you can get links to basically any study abroad needs from financial, to college life, to forums designed for you to ask your questions. Fact: you can apply to up to ten schools on one application listed by order of preference. You might not necessarily get your first choice, but this step of narrowing your choices doesn't have to be so overwhelming when you have so many options!

Now with your research done, your program chosen, your credits figured out, your application filled out, and if necessary your essay, resume and recommendations written, you are almost ready to go. The final step in the study abroad process is to send the application and deposit. While this may seem like a simple task, it can be hard because as Emily Johnson, a Utah State student going to Chile in May said, "this finalizes that you are really going."

Forsyth also agreed this was a major step, however she also made it clear that if you are doing a partner exchange, you have to wait to be accepted and that the incoming student is accepted by USU. "We can usually notify students with in two to three weeks of acceptance," Forsyth said.

Now take a deep breath and relax because you have just completed a process that will enhance your college experience and your life. While it is evident how this process can seem too big to handle, you must remember that the rewards are even bigger. Forsyth said the biggest reason she doesn't see students follow through with this process is financial. She said because a lot of students work during the year they don't have the money to take a semester off. Thus there are study abroad work programs available and feasible for students.

"My program will cost me a lot of money," said Johnson, "but the experience will be worth it."

If you are a student who finds yourself anywhere along this journey to studying abroad, best of luck to you. If you find yourself discouraged anywhere along this road, always remember that as Forsyth put it, the trials of this process are "an investment into your future."

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