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Posts Tagged ‘Study Abroad’
Friday, May 27th, 2011
Learning a new language is a goal that many people have. Whether or not you are an international student, it’s never too early or too late to start learning a new language. Below are some tips to improve your foreign language studies:
- Clearly define the level of fluency you want to achieve – Before you begin studying a new language, you need to clearly define a goal for yourself on how fluent you want to be in your new language. Do you want to just know the basics? Do you want to have a grasp on basic conversation? Do you want to be fluent? Or, do you want to use your newly acquired language for business?
- Setting aside time everyday – Once you have committed to learning a new language, you should set aside sometime everyday to study. Especially with new languages, every moment you are not using it is a moment you are forgetting it.
- Anytime study – Aside from your scheduled study time that you have set up for yourself, make a habit to fit in small amounts of study time if you have some free time on your hands. A good time to do this is when you are commuting by car, train, or bus. Some other ideas include watching TV or movies in the foreign language, listening to music, or even watch music videos.
- Start with a good foundation – While I’m a huge advocate for learning a new language through immersion process, it pays to start with a good understanding of the grammar. Be sure not to pick up incorrect speech which may be harder to fix once you have incorporated it into your understanding of the language.
- Find friends who can practice with you and use it in daily situations.
- Join a language exchange community website – If you are having a hard time finding friends to practice with, try joining a language exchange website. You can practice your new language in exchange for helping the other person learning your language – all online!
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – It’s normal to be a little nervous and you might find it a little awkward but if you become too afraid to speak than your language will not improve.
- Start now, don’t wait – As they say, you’ll never get anything done if you procrastinate.
- Study Abroad! – Personally, I think there is no better way to learn a language than to put yourself in an environment where everyone around you only speaks the language you’re trying to learn. A good way to do this is of course to study abroad.
Tags: language study, learn new language, learning new language, Study Abroad
Posted in International Student in the USA, Study Abroad | No Comments »
Friday, May 13th, 2011
If you are a student and you are planning on studying or traveling abroad on a budget, you will most likely stay in a hostel. Even for those who have the funds to spend on a nice hotel, a hostel can be a nice and fun experience that everyone should experience at least once.
Because you will have to share space with multiple strangers, many of you may be concern about your safety and the safety of your personal belongings when staying in a hostel. While I can attest from personal experience that most people staying in a hostel are nice and friendly, it never hurts to take some precautions. While in most cases the overall experience is perfectly safe, here are some tips to keep your stuff save in a hostel:
- Pick the right hostel – Most of the popular hostel booking websites have ratings from past guests. Pick a hostel with a good safety record and look for any problems others have had in the past. Check if the hostel has security lockers available.
- Bring Locks – Even if the hostel has lockers available, the size may only be big enough for a few small valuables. Some hostels may have locks available but may charge you a fee for the rental. If you bring your own lock, you may just end up saving a few bucks! Along with pad locks for your bag, I also like to bring a laptop lock. Aside from the obvious use of locking up your laptop, the long cable with the loop can come in handy to anchor other valuables to large immoveable objects.
- Keep your valuables separate – Keep a small amount of cash and whatever you need for the day separate from your hidden stash of cash and other documents (passport, credit card, etc.). Keep your wallet in your front pocket instead of your back pocket, you’re less likely to lose it or have it pick pocketed.
- Don’t flaunt your possession – If you are going to be traveling around with a nice camera, laptop or just a big chunk of cash, have it out only when you need it. After all, no one can be tempted to take your stuff if they don’t know you have it.
Tags: hostel safety, Study Abroad, travel abroad, travel safety
Posted in Health & Safety, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, April 29th, 2011
When you are planning your study abroad, you would no doubt have to make a decision on where you want to go and which college or university to attend. Many of the factors that would help you determine which college is right for you is similar to that of choosing your college at home.
The first step is to get to know yourself. You need to ask yourself, “why am I going to study abroad?” You will need to think about what you expect to get from your experiences.
Are you looking to just have a lot of fun on your trip and use the opportunity to travel to other countries around the region? Are you looking to learn a new language?
For example, if you are looking to have a lot of community support while you are abroad, you might want to consider joining an exchange program that your University has already set up. This gives you the advantage of knowing that many students have already been there – or perhaps there is a sizable community of people from your own country that would be able to help you adjust to the new environment. But if you are confident with your ability to do things by yourself without much hand-holding, you are freer to choose to go to school where there is relatively few people from your country so you can focus more on your other goals like learning a new language.
Choosing a location
This step is obvious if one of your goals is to learn a new language. If you want to learn Chinese don’t study abroad in Spain and if you want to learn Spanish don’t study abroad in China! Additionally, there are also other considerations when choosing a location. Do you enjoy a big city with a lot of people even if that means your living space may be small? How about the traffic or commute? What is your budget keeping in mind that the cost of living is higher in big cities?
How long is your study abroad trip? Will you be abroad for over a year or just one semester? If you are planning to study abroad just for one semester in the middle of the winter, you might want to reconsider going to study in places like Finland (unless you really enjoys the cold).
Consider your financial need
Many colleges and universities offer scholarships and grants for international students, you would just have to look and apply for it. Not only do you have to consider the tuition costs, you will also have to think about your cost of living; living in London is going to be more expensive than living in rural China.
Many countries especially in Europe like Finland, Spain, etc. also require international students to buy health insurance to get a visa. Most universities in the USA also have school’s specific insurance requirements for their student. So it is important to choose an insurance plan that would provide you with good coverage in addition to an affordable price.
What do you want to do afterward?
Lastly, if you are going to be studying abroad as a full-time degree seeking student, you might want to consider where you want to work after your graduation. Most universities usually have connections to companies or specific areas in which they are located in, therefore if you want to work in the USA or Europe after graduation it may help if you graduate from college in your area of interest.
Tags: finland student insurance, international student health insurance, international student insurance requirements, schengen visa insurance, Study Abroad, study abroad health insurance, study abroad insurance
Posted in Country Requirements, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, March 18th, 2011
So you are on your semester break and want to take a vacation somewhere, you’ve check the price for the plan ticket, now you need to find a place to stay. Accommodation is a major cost when you are traveling. Sure, you can stay in a hotel but many students are on a budget and hotels can be expensive.
Hostels are usually the first choice for a cheaper alternative to hotels. Two popular hostel booking websites on the internet are hostelworld.com and hostelbookers.com both have listings of hostels from all around the world and from my experience. You can also check out the listings on the InternationalStudent.com travel center where you can book youth hostels online also , as well as a number of other services.
But if you’re sick of hostels and don’t want to share a room with multiple strangers or sleep in a dirty bed (although many hostels are very clean and meeting random people can be a fun and rewarding experience) or just want a different kind of experience, you might want to take a look at airbnb.com. This site allows people to rent out a room or even sometimes an entire house. If you are traveling with a group of friends this might be a better deal than staying in a hostel. In most hostels you are paying for each person individually, but if you can find an apartment for 4 people and split the cost, you may end up getting a better/better place for less money.
If you really are tight on money or just enjoy meeting people, check out couchsurfing.com. This site is a community for people who have an extra couch or bed to connect with people who need a place to sleep for free. The website already has over 2 million members, and has been increasingly growing in popularity. Keep in mind that you’re stepping into a stranger’s house. While the site has some securities features, many of them are optional. You should always take precautions personally if you do decide to couch surf.
You may also want to consider Servas.org (similar to couchsurfing.com). This is a non-government organization with connections to the United Nations. The security procedure for Servas is more formal and includes an interview with an authorized Servas member.
Do you have other suggestions that are not listed on here? Leave a comment and share your secret!
Tags: hostel, sleeping, Study Abroad, travel accommodation, traveling
Posted in Study Abroad | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 18th, 2011
So you did your research for your ideal study abroad program and for international scholarship opportunities, and now you’ve picked where you want to go. That’s great! But now what? Study abroad usually involves more than just picking your school, paying the plane ticket and school tuition. Early preparation is essential and will save you from last minute headaches. Below is a list of some important considerations you should prepare in advance of your study abroad trip:
Country visa requirements
If you already have your heart set on a country and school, you should research what the requirements would be in order for you to study there. Most countries will require international students to apply for a student visa. Checking with your school’s study abroad office or embassy’s website would be helpful to gain more information about what requirements you need to meet to obtain a visa.
Insurance requirements
Keep in mind that even if you have health insurance in your home country, it may not provide coverage while you study abroad.
Many of these countries also require that you must have health insurance in order to apply for a visa. Some examples of popular destinations with health insurance requirements include the the J-1 visa requirements in the US, student visas in Finland and insurance requirements if entering one of the Schengen countries.
Many universities also require insurance for international students. If you are an international student studying in the U.S., you should check if your university requires you to purchase the school’s plan or whether you have other insurance options, look up your insurance requirements in our school insurance requirements data-base.
Check for important dates!
You should also check for any application deadlines and be mindful if you have to mail any documents internationally, as it may take longer than you expected for it to be delivered.
If you don’t have a passport already, you should apply for your documents early. You will also want to make sure that your passport is valid for the period of travel, no one wants to find out that their passport expired in the middle of your trip.
Research your country
Unlike taking a trip while vacationing for just a few days in a country, when you study abroad you are most likely going to spend a long period of time in your host country. You should do some research on the language and culture of the place you are going to in order to avoid culture shock or to avoid accidentally offend someone. Learn some key phrases and make some local friends; this is a great way to learn the culture. If you are a non-native English speaker and will be studying in an English speaking country, you will probably have to take either the TOEFL or the IELTS test for English proficiency.
Get proper vaccination for where you are traveling to, and check if you will need any medication while abroad and if they are available in your host country.
Tags: choosing study abroad, student travel insurance, Study Abroad, study abroad health insurance, study abroad insurance, Study Abroad Scholarships
Posted in Country Requirements, Health & Safety, International Student in the USA, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Visa Requirements | No Comments »
Friday, January 21st, 2011
On January 19th 2011, the U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama gave a speech at Howard University. During the speech she mentioned the importance of studying abroad, which coincided with the Chinese President Hu Jintao visit to the United States.
To show the need for strong ties between China and the United States, during the speech she talked about the “100,000 Strong Initiative“. The 100,000 strong initiative is supported by the U.S. government and was launched back in 2009 to encourage a greater diversity and the number of Students from the United States to study abroad in China.
With growing interest in China, more and more people are going to study abroad there. Between 2001-2007, the number of Americans studying in China grew by 30 percent and is expected to continue to grow into the future. It’s becoming more and more accessible for students to go study abroad in China and new scholarships are emerging to help students finance their trip. The Chinese government is also offering 10,000 scholarships for US students studying in China.
After Mrs. Obama’s speech, a four student lead panel discussed and shared their experiences on studying abroad. This included two recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. This program is design to provide scholarship opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students who want to study abroad. This year the program awarded over 2,300 scholarships with the average award being about $4,000. If you are studying a critical need language like Chinese you are then eligible to receive an additional $3,000 award.
Many other international scholarships are also available, as well as opportunities to study in China and around the world.
Tags: China, Scholarships for China, Study Abroad, Study Abroad in China, Study Abroad Scholarships, Study in China
Posted in Study Abroad | No Comments »
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Did you know that women are twice as likely to study abroad as men? After considering this statistic, it may be that more women are enrolled in colleges than men. Or perhaps there is another reason left unresolved.
Interestingly, a recent study from the University of Iowa tried to at least touch the surface surrounding this question. Why are more women studying abroad? In beginning to answer this question, we must first understand the influences causing someone to study in another country.
In the paper published by the University of Iowa, surveys were administered to students to find out why they wanted to study abroad. In reviewing the results, the study found that there were profound gender differences.
The study found that women were substantially more influenced by authority figures and educational factors while men were influenced more by personal values, experiences and peer influences. In fact, men who were more socially connected with their peers were less likely to study abroad; this was not the same for women. Another link was that men – and not women – who had yet to decide on a major were more likely to study abroad.
While this does not answer the question as to why this gender gap exists, it does begin to provide some insight into how men and women think which may later provide an explanation.
One interesting example of this is in Boston College where 52% of the student body is comprised of women. Moreover, Boston College found that a majority of males planned to study abroad when they first entered college. What do their statistics look like? When looking at the percentage of students studying abroad by gender, 65% are women and only 35% are male.
This raises an interesting question in the study abroad community. Not only is this effecting the overall international travel and study experience – but even larger gaps in the male to female ratio can be further effected by the destination or program. This has created a stir of discussion within the international education community on how to address this issue.
Tags: gender gaps, Study Abroad
Posted in Study Abroad | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
There are many countries that are becoming more popular destinations for Study Abroad programs. For example, Finland, Spain, Italy, France, and the UK are hot spots for international studies and health insurance is also requirement for most of these counties.
The Student Secure plan has become an ideal solution for many these students. Student Secure comes in two levels, budget and select. The plan provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical coverage up to $250,000 (budget) or $300,000 (select).
The plan also includes maternity, mental health, prescription drugs, sports coverage, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, doctor office visits, etc. You have the option to pay for it all at once or on a monthly basis.
After you purchase this plan, you will immediately receive a confirmation e-mail. In this e-mail, it will contain your insurance card, letter of coverage, receipt and policy details.
You will also have access (Client Zone) to what is called a “Visa Letter” that outlines what the plan coverage is, confirms the insured is covered and provide other information about the plan that you have purchased. You can just simply print out these documents to show proof of coverage.
Tags: international student insurance, Student Insurance, student secure, Study Abroad, study abroad health insurance, study abroad insurance
Posted in Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
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