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CHOOSING YOUR HOST COUNTRY
Take some time to choose where you go to study abroad and your experience will be that much more rewarding.
“I chose to go to Rome because it was one of the only cities that offered classes in my major. I decided to go to Egypt because I’d always wanted to travel there and the program had a stellar reputation. In retrospect, I think it was also important that there was no possible way my parents would visit me there.”
Urban Studies major,
Study abroad in Rome and Egypt,
Cornell University ‘97
Depending on what programs your college accredits, you should be able to choose from a wide array of countries. The most frequented hotspots are Western Europe and South America, although locations throughout Asia and the Asian Pacific get a good number of visits as well.
Some lucky students have known where they wanted to study abroad since birth. Whether they have ancestors from a certain area or have just fallen in love with the idea of a particular country, the decision seems to be an easy one. For those of you who haven’t been irreversibly inspired in a certain direction, there are a few criteria to consider.
One is foreign language and your desire or hesitation to go to a country where you’ll have to speak it. If you’ve studied French for years and want to improve it, consider France, Belgium, Switzerland, or a French-speaking nation in Africa such as the Ivory Coast. Talk to a few students and professors in the foreign language department you’re thinking about and see what programs they recommend. If you’re not up on your language skills, you can go somewhere that is primarily English speaking, such as Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand.
Another way to choose your study abroad program is to ask yourself what cultures fascinate you. Is there something about millennia-old Japanese traditions that appeals to you? Do rainforest sustainability issues make you salivate? Think about what intrigues you and find out where you can learn about it and be a part of it.
Don’t forget that another perfectly legitimate way to choose a country is to think of a place you know absolutely nothing about, a place where you know no one and would have absolutely no reason to go in your everyday life. In many ways, such places are ideal for study abroad. When else in your life will you get to spend months frolicking in a random country for absolutely no practical reason, doing nothing other than living and experiencing and learning? It’s a great opportunity to do something adventurous, so don’t limit your options. This is one situation where the question “why?” can easily be replaced by the question “why not?”
In making your decision, make sure to keep an eye on world politics and travel advisory warnings. War-torn countries are usually bad news, as are locations of recent Ebola outbreaks. Do your research and make sure your destination is at least relatively safe. This doesn't mean that you should avoid third-world and developing nations altogether, it just means that you should know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
Copyright © 2002, 2003 by NATAVI GUIDES.
Check out more student advice on studying abroad...
• FIGURING OUT WHAT TO PACK
• DEALING WITH CULTURE SHOCK
• WORKING WHILE STUDYING ABROAD
• BEATING REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK
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