On a national level, the study abroad bug may be as prolific as the bed bug ‘ if only a little less likely to suck your blood.
Following a report issued by the Institute of International Education which found a steady increase in the number of students participating in study abroad programs, every news group from The Associated Press to the Chronicle of Higher Education to The New York Times is marking the trend. And, in this issue, so are we (see Page 2).
But despite the frenzy for programs that have students walking the Louvre, hugging Costa Rican sea turtles and touching fragments of the Berlin Wall, the process of shopping for the study abroad experience of your college career should be as important as the decision of where to go from high school.
And, studies show, a semester abroad could be even more costly.
There seem to be about 34 different permutations for choosing a destination and program, and they all have a different price tag.
More and more, private companies are taking advantage of the demand and offering their own custom-designed international experience (as is the case with Binghamton University’s Semester-in-London Program, which is run by Academic Solutions). The programs typically offer additional trips, translating services and other accommodations, but are completely different from independent trips where students study abroad without the help from their university’s offerings.
There’s even a difference between study abroad and exchange programs (exchange programs literally swap one international student for another and usually cost much less), and an even bigger difference in how you can register for classes in another country.
At Binghamton, programs are offered through BU or through other SUNY schools. Non-SUNY programs are available, but you may miss out on financial aid and scholarships by bypassing the University’s Office of International Programs. BU even offers specific scholarships for students going abroad ‘ and many of them depend on your destination. In some cases, the phrase ‘study abroad’ may mean as little as taking Binghamton classes with other American students in a building that happens to be in another country or as much as sitting down to daily supper with a family in Valenica.
Much like the college experience, study abroad has become an industry to itself. The packages designed to attract students to a specific program determine the cost, and the more that is offered, the higher the price tag.
Now that the experience is more than an accessory to the college experience, the research required to pick the best program for your money should not be an accessory either.