There are many myths associated with studying abroad, such as its unbearable expense, that you can only go abroad once or that the planning phase is completely overwhelming. My experience debunks these myths.
I’ve had the extraordinary ability to study abroad twice and am going abroad a third time this summer. In this blog post, I’ll give some tips on how to make studying abroad feasible.
The first program I did was a spring exchange during my sophomore year, at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. I planned for an entire year to make this possible within a very strict budget. During my freshman year, I worked to save up as much money as possible.
I chose an exchange program because the tuition abroad for reciprocal exchanges is the same as going to The University of Texas at Austin. Also, the cost of living is often cheaper outside of Austin — I only paid $2,000 for a full semester of housing in Edinburgh!
After returning from an amazing experience in Scotland, I knew I wanted to go abroad again, so I started looking into shorter programs for affordability. As I browsed the Education Abroad website, I found a faculty-led May Term program called “Politics of Protecting the Great Barrier Reef” in Australia, which aligned perfectly with my interests in environmental policy.
After checking the program deadline, I immediately looked into available scholarships for the College of Liberal Arts’ Department of International Relations and Global Studies, plus any others I might be eligible for.
I applied for several scholarships, giving myself a couple months to complete the applications, to ensure that my essays were strong enough to compete with the hundreds of other students applying. I was able to get enough scholarships to pay for my entire program, which made attending that May Term possible for me.
After my time in Australia, I thought I was done going abroad for the remainder of my undergraduate studies, but I was very wrong. In the fall semester of my senior year, I got curious about studying abroad again, and I found an intriguing May Term faculty-led program in Botswana.
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to apply to the program and some scholarships; the worst that could happen is I wouldn’t get in. I applied months in advance and not only was accepted into the program but also received scholarships that covered most of the program costs. I’m now working two jobs to pay the remaining program fees and my expenses here in Austin. I leave for Botswana in six weeks, and the excitement is just as intense as it was when I was going to Edinburgh!
My tips for anyone looking to study abroad are: 1) Start planning at least one year ahead; 2) Apply for as many scholarships as possible; and 3) Don’t let fear stop you from going abroad.
Before I left for Edinburgh, I had never left the country, so it took a leap of courage to do this. I learned that the work you put into planning will open doors and immensely influence your journey abroad.
Daniell Vasquez is an Education Abroad Peer Mentor providing support to students interested in studying abroad. Learn about this position and its services on the Peer Mentors Program webpage.
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