Backtrack: Finding a program

I realize that I may have gotten ahead of myself the other day when I posted about my pre-departure experiences. I thought it may help to backtrack a little bit and give some advice about finding a program after receiving an email asking for such information. Here is how I arrived at my decision of Semester 1 at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland, Australia through Arcadia University (partner program to Mizzou), studying marine biology and rainforest ecology.

Currently, I'm a biology major at Mizzou on the grad school track for marine biology. This was my starting point for most of my decisions.

I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to go to Australia, no questions asked. It had been a dream of mine from my early childhood, probably sparked by the idea of wrestling crocodiles with Steve Irwin or something. In a more adult state-of-mind, I knew that getting some marine experience on the Great Barrier Reef while making connections with the professors and staff, would help me immensely when it comes time to compete with all of the kids who majored in marine biology for their undergrad.

If you don't necessarily have an idea of where you want to study, here are some important things to consider:

Price

Studying at a major university in a well-traveled country is going to be vastly more expensive than a more secluded university in a lesser-known country. For instance, I saw numbers as high as $30,000 for one semester (mine is $20,000) in Australia. Yet, when I looked at programs in countries like India and Korea, just out of curiosity, some of their programs were only $5,000 for the entire semester. That's less than what I pay here at Mizzou! But it's also a gamble with safety and cultural habituation. For the price, you could very well be sacrificing your rights as a woman (gender roles differ to the extent of the law in most middle-eastern countries), or even your life.

Language
For me personally, going to a country that spoke anything but English or French was out of the question. And even French would be pushing it. However, for other people I've talked to, language didn't pose any sort of boundary at all. It really all has to do with what you're comfortable with. Luckily for Americans, basically every other country emphasizes learning English.

Your Major

Before taking the risk of studying abroad, think about your major and how studying abroad will improve your chances of success. The debt you will take on by studying abroad will be monumental in most cases. If once you graduate, you feel you'll be struggling to make money, I recommend foregoing the experience. And make sure that the program you choose will apply to you. Back when I first started looking for programs, I found a summer program to the University of Queensland through the Animal Sciences department at Mizzou. From the outside, it looked great, but once I started doing more research, I realized that none of the credits would transfer to my major... which kind of made the trip useless. So, make sure the credits will transfer in your favor, otherwise you could be spending thousands of dollars so that you can spend a few thousand more by spending an extra semester doing courses to make up for the lost time at home!

The Length of Time You Want to Spend Abroad

There's a couple of options here. Summer and January intersessions normally last 4 weeks. But, you'll spend about 5-7 hours a day in 2 classes. Your weekends, usually starting on Thursday afternoon, will be left open for travel. These are the cheapest programs, about $9,000. Semesters last about 4 and a half months. This is how long I will be gone. You have to take into consideration the hemisphere you're studying in, though. I'm studying in the southern hemisphere where the seasons are backwards, so my program doesn't start until the middle of February, and I come back at the end of June. I had to sacrifice summer school (which I love) and summer stock theatre in order to go on this program. Semesters cost about $20,000. The last option is a year. You'd be gone for about 9 and a half months. It would be a great cultural experience, and for the money, it's the best value; about $30,000. But you would also be missing holidays, and depending on your level of homesickness, it could be a rough time.

*Note: Prices apply to Australia

Other Things To Consider

Climate, food culture, excursions, etc.

Now that you've thought about all of the logistics, it's time to look for a program!

Start with your home school's programs. Go to the international office and ask for programs. Or visit the website. If you go to Mizzou, here's ours: http://international.missouri.edu/studyabroad/

Pros: Home-school programs are almost always the cheapest option. They have also already worked out your course schedule, and how classes will apply to your major.

Cons: In most programs, there's not a lot of structure past that. You could be responsible for your own transportation (flights, getting to and from the University) and travel excursions. It may also be harder to contact someone in the case of an emergency.

If you don't see the country or university where you would like to go, then inquire about partner programs. I'm going through Arcadia University, which is a partner program to Mizzou. They have literally hundreds of options. http://www.arcadia.edu/abroad/

Pros: The advantages to going with a structured-partner program are, to me, worth the extra money you'll pay. They will make sure you have housing, transportation, and they will even plan excursions for you. They are always on call, and will set up required study abroad health insurance for you.

Cons: For the more independent traveler, the structure could be a drawback. And they are more expensive because of that structure.

If none of these options work for you, you can always go through a non-partner program. I'm not quite sure how to go about finding those, but be prepared to be completely on your own when it comes to planning flights, getting yourself to and from the university, and finding housing. I am not a brave enough soul to handle such things. :)

Once you've applied, you can start applying for scholarships. I applied for the Mizzou study-abroad scholarship, Arcadia study-abroad scholarship, Gilman scholarship, and Biology departmental scholarship. The Gilman scholarship is for Pell-grant recipients only. I do have to warn you, they do judge based on your race and where you're going... giving preference to those of minority status and less-traveled to countries. I did NOT receive this scholarship, being a white chick going to Australia. Although, at $5,000 a person, it's worth a shot. The Mizzou and Arcadia scholarships I found by asking my financial and academic advisors. Your advisors will always have tips about applying for scholarships, and may even proofread any personal statements for you. Oh yeah, be prepared to write a lot and ask for a lot of recommendations. For my personal feelings on those, see the previous post. :)

There are lots of country, language, and major specific scholarships out there. Here is the premier website for such information: http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/

If price is something you're worried about, it may be to your advantage to visit the website above and find which countries and programs offer the best scholarships BEFORE you apply to any programs. That way, you'll have an idea of how much financial aid you could receive.

One last note about funding: your current school and governmental scholarships and grants ARE applicable to your study abroad program. Talk to your financial advisor for more information.

This is another website I wish someone would have told me about at the beginning. You can search by almost any criteria and find an excellent list of programs: http://www.studyabroad.com/

Well, 35 days left until departure! I'm SO ready for this!