Preparing to travel abroad is difficult. Figuring out how to get the money, where to go and if you can actually manage to be so far away from your friends and family are just a few of the obstacles you’ll have to consider. Here in Binghamton, there are plenty of opportunities to travel abroad and we have programs that span the entire globe.
The first thing to keep in mind is the language. While some of the programs are completely in English — meaning the classes are taught in English and everyone around you is fluent in the language — some of them are not. This means you’ll need to be on top of your game when it comes to the language you’re going to be immersed in, or at least be able to fill in the gaps quickly if you aren’t. You really don’t want to do poorly just because you didn’t quite understand what the teacher was saying for the last 45 minutes thanks to that convenient barrier called language.
The next thing that should be considered is the social activity of the place. If you know you want to go out and do semi-questionable legal things, then you probably want to choose a country that’s known for its night life. On the other side of that coin, if you’re more of a snuggle-up-with-a-good-book person, then you want to make note of whether there are plenty of museums, libraries and coffee shops around. While all the study abroad programs are safe, you should research the area for things like crime rate to decide if you personally would feel comfortable there. We all like to let loose every once in a while, but if you’re too scared to leave your building, you’re not going to get to experience everything the country has to offer.
Of course, keep the drinking age in mind. Also worth noting is that in some places, the drinking age is different from the buying age, meaning that just because you and your friends can get totally smashed at 18, you won’t necessarily be able to buy the alcohol needed to get completely annihilated. Society sucks, but playing by the rules, especially when you’re not in your home country, is kind of important.
Every study abroad experience is different and everyone thinks different things are important. However, these are just a few of the many things people should keep in mind when they decide whether or not they want to pursue a place to live for almost half a year. Side note: remember, academics do come into play too, you crazy kids.