Just trying to see if anyone has study abroad. I am planning on going to the University of Oulu in Finland for spring of 06. If you have studied abroad , where did you go, did you like it, is it hard to get used to being so far from home? If you are planning on studying abroad where are you planning on going? Thanks alot.
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I went to Denmark thorugh a program called DIS. It was an absolutely wonderful experience. Adjusting to a different culture can be difficult at first but once you have started to fit in you may never want to come back. Denmark and Finland and both Nordic countries and from what I noticed you tend to stick out like a sore thumb if you are not tall, blonde, and blue eyed.
I went to Dijon, France with Cultural Experiences Abroad in the fall of 2003. I had the time of my life, made wonderful friends I'm still in contact with today and have memories that'll last forever. I had studied French before so the transition wasnt hard, in fact I think the hard period was readjusting to life here. I still get sentimentalpballer66 said:
when I hear anyone speak French or if I walk by a French restaurant. My college roommate who also studied in France, spent a summer in Finland too. She had a wonderful time there and came back with the best pictures. Have fun and give yourself time to get settled. before you know it, you'll be on the plane back with great stories .
I was in Botswana for a semester through Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. It was great and did a lot of for my future aspirations and goals - learned a lot. In terms of adjusting, the only trouble I had was coming back to the states.
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Well im 5'11'' dont know if thats tall or not lol. I am also brown haired and brown eyes. Guess I'll be sticking out like a sore thumb.SteveUTexas said:
I am studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain this summer and I am way excited. A little nervous about my Spanish skills, but hey, part of the reason I am going is to improve! My brother studied in Brussels, Belgium last summer and loved it -- just about everyone I have heard of has had a wonderful experience.
pballer66 said:
I loved studying abroad!!! I studied medieval history at St Peters College, Oxford in the UK. I cant say enough good things about it. A good friend of mine had an equally enriching experience in honduras. Studying abroad one of those things where if you have the time and opportunity you should definately pursue it.
i went with CEA too! i went to paris in summer of 04. I wanted to go for a semester, but with my major, and the way classes are organized at my school, it wasn't possible. but even for the 8ish weeks i was there, it was the greatest experience ever. i took 5 credits at the sorbonne. it's hard at first getting used to a different lifestyle, and i spoke french pretty well before i got there. just the change in pace is a lot different. it was also kinda wierd when you hear people back home talking about what's going on.maryannea said:I went to Dijon, France with Cultural Experiences Abroad in the fall of 2003. I had the time of my life, made wonderful friends I'm still in contact with today and have memories that'll last forever. I had studied French before so the transition wasnt hard, in fact I think the hard period was readjusting to life here. I still get sentimental
it was crazy when after a while i started thinking in french. but i miss it all the time. i had my panini guy who would teach us "street french" after my classes. and the crepe man who was named jacques and he was the coolest guy. you meet a lot of really cool people. my class had a lot of people from different countries, like from denmark, brazil, mexico, columbia, japan, korea. so much fun. you adapt after a while. when you come back, it's like culture shock all over again.
If I could go back to undergrad, I would study abroad in a heartbeat. Either that or do the Summer-at-Sea program. it sounds amazing. a friend of mine went on it and sent us emails every place she went. it sounded amazing. and I would definately go. I'm planning on doing a rotation abroad during 3rd year. gluckpballer66 said:
I did research in Singapore last summer. Awesome experience. It felt like a paid 6-week vacation.
studied abroad in bolivia and then, Oman in the middle east. now i speak spanish and arabic fluently. [i will say that i had a good grasp of the languages beforehand, so you won't become fluent in one semester if you don't have the backgroud.] but, it was the BEST experience of my entire life. and as a medical anth major, i was able to do alot of research [anthropology research] and even shadow some rural doctors and work on mobile health clinics. going abroad is the best time you will ever have. i highly recommend it. i really am a better person for having done it, and i hope that everybody who has the chance to go abroad, really takes the opportunity. IT IS INVALUABLE!
I studied abroad for a year in Tokyo and I can say without hesitation that it was the best decision I made during undergrad. I got to immerse myself in a whole new culture, gain fluency in a very challenging language, travel in the country, and dance like crazy in the clubs. My interviewers seemed to love it too since I volunteered over there and participated in some activities with Japanese med students.
I have to say, the only bad part was coming back to the states, and stepping back into reality.
Oh yea and like the above poster I had taken classes in the local language before I went, unless you have a solid foundation in the language before you go don't expect to gain fluency in a semester or even a year (unless you are really talented with languages).
I have to say, the only bad part was coming back to the states, and stepping back into reality.
Oh yea and like the above poster I had taken classes in the local language before I went, unless you have a solid foundation in the language before you go don't expect to gain fluency in a semester or even a year (unless you are really talented with languages).
i had a blast studying abroad for a semester in paris. i studied photography, art history, contemporary art, french, and dance through the wells college program for the arts in paris. DO IT! best experience ever.
I studied in London and it was probably one of the best experiences of my life... seriously an awesome city in general and so cheap and easy to travel around Europe from (although the city is ridiculously expensive, as is most of Europe right now, so make sure you have the bucks if you are planning on being in Europe, but i took out a loan to do it and never regretted it).. obviously the cultural shock wasn't as big, but being in a program you meet so many like minded people you will be so busy having fun that you won't worry about the distance... that being said I'm currently working in south america and the experience of working is so much different (and much much harder to do with visas and finding work, etc), that I would definitely suggest taking advantage of the opportunity during school, because most likely you will not have another chance to live abroad again, unless you are really willing to work hard at it.
i went to london for a weekend when i was in paris. 2 and a half hours and you're there. it reminded me so much of NY (where I'm from) i felt like i was going back home. that's what's so awesome about europe, a 2 hour trip, and you're somewhere completely different.akanene said:
this summer, i'm not studying abroad (too much money) but i'm going on a free 10 day trip to israel and then staying with family there, then i'm going to europe for 2 weeks with my sister. i think studying abroad and just travelling in general is worth the debt and the no life for a year because you're saving up all your money to go. although i think next year, my senior year, i may study abroad in london for 4 weeks in january, but i don't know how that'll happen since i'll (hopefully) be going on interviews.
SteveUTexas said:
I was also in Denmark this past summer at the Copenhagen Business School . . . even though I'm not a business major. Scandinavia is an absolutely amazing place to study. Especially Finland -- I spent an extended amount of time in Helsinki and Turku. It's the only of the Scandinavian countries that feels especially exotic. Just make sure to travel through the other countries while you're up there! Your time in Finland will be great, but these side escapes are what make the experience.