The General Types of Programs

When I began my research this week, I wanted to look into the different types of programs offered when choosing to study abroad. The types of programs and details on the programs differ depending on what institution you attend, so different schools have different studying abroad programs. Despite the differences from school to school, there are a few standard or common types of programs offered generally at most schools which can be looked at broadly without getting into the details exclusive to a certain school. Direct enrollment, sponsored studying abroad programs, and summer study abroad programs are the main types I’m interested in looking into and comparing. Internship programs are also offered at certain schools, but I’m less interested in those types of programs so I won’t write about those; I just wanted to mention they are out there if anyone was interested. I also looked into general long-term and short-term trips when studying abroad.

Direct enrollment is a type of abroad program where the student is directly enrolled into a school in the host country. This means that the classes taken are usually offered in the native language of the country and the majority of students in the classes are natives. You would be attending and enrolled in the foreign college for however long you had chosen to be. This, to me, seems like a very adventurous way to study abroad and of course you would have to know the native language very well since your classes would be in the language and you still want to pass your classes abroad. According to Jason Rogers in his article, The Perks of Direct Enrollment for Studying Abroad, direct enrollment is cheaper because one can escape third party expenses and it also offers a great deal more of independence than other programs. I agree that it would take a lot of independence to choose to do this and you would be doing more of the planning yourself.

Sponsored programs are usually when the university is sponsored by many organizations for the studying abroad program. These programs can sometimes be direct enrollment but usually students are enrolled in the university within the United States, but attend classes abroad in a college that the United States college is paired with or in collaboration with. The classes are sometimes offered in English but sometimes they can be in the native language. I believe the school offers a bit more guidance with these types of programs, but you would still need to try to know the native language the best you could unless the program chosen offered English classes.

Summer programs are generally shorter trips offered during the summer by a university and can sometimes be offered by private studying abroad programs or by a university working in collaboration with organizations or with the foreign institute.

With those common types of programs explained, I want to cover long and short term studying abroad. Programs offered vary on time spend spent abroad and that is an important factor when making the decision. Short term usually means anywhere from a summer program that offers a few weeks abroad or spending one semester abroad depending on what a person considers ‘short’. Shorter time abroad can be less expensive than longer trips. Isabel Eva Bohrer says in her article,

“In general, keeping it short is a good option for first-timers. Going abroad always carries with it inherent challenges, whether it be culture shock, homesickness, or merely jet lag for the first couple of days. If you have never studied abroad, or even been abroad before, the first experience in a foreign country can be difficult at times, and perhaps even overwhelming. Restricting your time abroad can help you see the challenge as temporary; you would be surprised, homesickness will not feel as bad if you know you have only a week to go.”

 

I would agree that a shorter time abroad sounds more appealing for a first time experience. I wouldn’t want to sign up for anything longer than a semester without knowing what to expect. I can see that if I liked it then I would maybe think about going for a longer time abroad. Long term can mean anything longer than one semester or even earning a whole degree abroad. This may be good for people who really enjoy the experience or want to get as much foreign experience as possible. A perk to a longer time abroad is that a student has more time to participate within the culture and community of the country they are studying in.

Kevin Kehl and Jason Morris address the issue of global mindedness when comparing short and long term studies. Global mindedness is the new ideas and perspectives gained from international immersion and respect and understanding for different cultures, people, and places. Morris and Kehl claim that shorter term studies offer less opportunity for actually learning about a culture and that students returning from longer term programs are much more global minded than students returning from shorter summer trips. This makes sense and it is easy to see how a trip in the summer can be seen more as a long vacation than a chance to interact and learn-- outside of required classes.

An article posted by Alex Berger on his website explains that the major differences in short term and long term studying abroad are,

“Commitment, Support, Different Educational Systems, Social Restart, and Family”

I think he covers his points very well and offers lots of helpful information. I would recommend checking out his article if you are really interested in studying abroad. Here is a quick link: Five Major Differences Between Long-Term and Short-Term Study Abroad Programs

In conclusion, I learned that planning and choosing just the type of program you are interested in partaking in requires some thought and research. I believe that a short term program would be something I’d lean towards for a first taste of studying abroad even though I agree that it offers less chances to learn about the culture. I want to find out first if I would enjoy it before I commit a large amount of time into it.

 

Sources:

Berger, Alex. "Five Major Differences Between Long-Term and Short-Term Study Abroad Programs." VirtualWayfarer., 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. http://virtualwayfarer.com/five-major-differences-between-long-term-and-short-term-study-abroad-programs/.

Bohrer, Isabel E. "Short or Long-Term Study Abroad? ." Short or Long-Term Study Abroad?  Making the Decision. Transitions Abroad, 17 Oct. 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. <http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/study/articles/study-abroad-short-or-long-term.shtml>.       

            Kehl, Kevin, and Jason Morris. Differences in Global-Mindedness between Short-Term and Semester-Long Study Abroad Participants at Selected Private Universities: n. pag. Www.frontiersjournal.com. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. http://www.frontiersjournal.com/documents/KehlMorrisFRONTIERSJOURNALXVWinter2007-08.pdf.

            Rogers, Jason. "The Perks of Direct Enrollment for Study Abroad." The Perks of Direct Enrollment for Study Abroad. Go Overseas, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. http://www.gooverseas.com/blog/perks-direct-enrollment-study-abroad.

            The University of Scranton. "The University of Scranton Study Abroad Program." Types of Study Abroad ProgramsStudy Abroad. The University of Scranton, 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. <http://studyabroad.scranton.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Parent_ID=0&Link_ID=CDD1A4D6-26B9-564D-D6068A20001AB689>.

Downsides?

Last week I began researching the opportunity of studying abroad for college students. This is an opportunity I may be interested in trying while I attend college. I wanted to start off very broad and very basic. I already know what studying abroad is and I've always heard great things about it. Never hearing negative aspects about the subject kind of makes me skeptical, so I began to look for the pros and cons to studying abroad with a focus on the negative aspects usually not mentioned.

I learned, but mostly already knew, that one of the most prevalent issues with studying abroad is the financial costs of the program. The cost can vary on the school, the program, and even the country and city you are studying in. As expected the monetary expenses are going to be high when traveling to another school in another country to spend a semester. One article mentioned that some scholarships were offered for studying abroad as well as aid and financial plans. Either way it would be best to plan ahead before making the investment. I’m not so much worried about the cost at the moment. I’m more concerned with finding out more about it and whether or not I’d want to do it. Then, I can decide if it is worth the financial costs for me.

The next most important con to me is the culture shock and homesickness mentioned as a very likely side effect for students overseas. Going to a country where English isn’t the native language and attending classes with that language would be very challenging. Some of the articles I read warned that, contrary to popular thought, students studying abroad do not just pick up the language and begin to speak it fluently.

In her article, “Studying Abroad: Expectations vs. Reality?” Arielle Demchuk says:

“If you don't hang out with locals, you're going to automatically divert to English, which is within your comfort zone and which will often be the common language within a dorm of international students.”

I find this pretty helpful advice. Learning a language takes time and studying, although being in an area where people speak that language often will help you learn it. The homesickness and having to leave college life on campus would be hard as well. Students going on trips abroad would have to leave clubs and friends behind for a while. I’d imagine you’d miss some things. I know I’d be scared going to another country, but the idea is also exciting.

After researching the major cons of studying abroad, I would have to say that the choice to go or not is really up to how bad you want to and how important it is to you. I believe you have to put hard work into planning it and making an effort to learn the language and communicate with the locals. It would take an attitude where one would be willing to try new things and be brave enough to step out of their comfort zone. I think it could be a very enjoyable experience if you worked to make it that. From what I know, it’s commonly fantasized that it will be wonderful going overseas when (not saying it isn’t but) it can be very challenging as well and everything probably won’t go super well and easy, especially at first.

Now, I am even a bit nervous about the idea of abroad study. It makes sense to enjoy the experience to its highest potential that you’d have to step out of your comfort zone within a foreign environment. I just hope that I can do that if I were to go. I want to research more and maybe find ways to sort out or prevent – at least partially – some of the cons to studying abroad.

Sources:

1. Arora, Devika. "The Pros and Cons of Studying Abroad." Article. N.p., Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. http://www.gradschools.com/article-detail/studying-abroad-in-graduate-school-2184.

2. Berdan, Stacie Nevadomski. "Busting the Top 10 Study Abroad Myths." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacie-nevadomski-berdan/busting-the-top-10-study-abroad_b_4175861.html.

3. Brewer, Holly. "The Pros and Cons of Studying Abroad." Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. http://www.gradschools.com/article-detail/studying-abroad-in-graduate-school-2184.

4. Demchuk, Arielle. "Studying Abroad: Expectations vs. Reality?" Studying Abroad: Expectations vs. Reality?, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.< http://www.goabroad.com/articles/study-abroad/studying-abroad-expectations-vs-reality>.

5. Editoral Board. "The Unseen Effects of Study Abroad." The Duke Chronicle. Duke Student Publishing Company, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2013/09/30/unseen-effects-study-abroad>