StudyING Abroad
Photography credit to Lucy Harding
push's 90 second guide:
studying abroad
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Lucy explores why should even British students study in the UK, if it is so darned expensive. She previously worked closely with her university’s Erasmus society to support European students and also spent a year abroad studying at California State University: Long Beach - so she knows what she's talking about. She's been there, done that and actually got the t-shirt.
benefits and costs
Considering the UK's miserable weather and studying abroad for three years starts to seem peachy. Having said that, signing up for an entire degree abroad is likely to be expensive and fiddly and even language students (for whom studying abroad is a necessary part of their course) only usually spend a year abroad.
There’s a lot to be said for doing part of your course abroad if foreign languages play any part in your career plans. If your language skills go beyond (or at least aspire to) being able to ask for a beer in Spanish or knowing all the French swear words, a stay in another climate not only gives you more tannage opportunities but looks great on the CV and most importantly is a fantastic experience.
Living costs in different countries swing like monkeys from a tree – with Japan, Norway and Switzerland being among the most expensive – and your financial entitlements will be adjusted accordingly.
You’re still entitled to your student loan if you study abroad and if you need to be there for eight weeks or more as part of your course, you may even be able to claim a larger loan, depending on where you are studying.
There’s a lot to be said for doing part of your course abroad if foreign languages play any part in your career plans. If your language skills go beyond (or at least aspire to) being able to ask for a beer in Spanish or knowing all the French swear words, a stay in another climate not only gives you more tannage opportunities but looks great on the CV and most importantly is a fantastic experience.
Living costs in different countries swing like monkeys from a tree – with Japan, Norway and Switzerland being among the most expensive – and your financial entitlements will be adjusted accordingly.
You’re still entitled to your student loan if you study abroad and if you need to be there for eight weeks or more as part of your course, you may even be able to claim a larger loan, depending on where you are studying.
"I would recommend studying abroad to anyone, no matter your course or background. It’s a great eye opener and confidence booster, and the courage, organisation and initiative it takes to move to a new country is exactly the thing that will set you apart in the eyes of future employers."
Lucy Harding, Talks and Editorial Manager for Push
Lucy Harding, Talks and Editorial Manager for Push
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMMES
The SOCRATES-ERASMUS scheme: A European study programme that gives students the chance to live and study somewhere else in Europe for between 3 and 12 months. This study will count towards their degree course back in the UK. They won’t have to pay tuition fees abroad and may also qualify for a study grant to pay for living costs. If you’re interested, you’ll need to talk to your course director or Socrates-Erasmus rep at your university to find out whether you can apply.
For details of the UK SOCRATES-ERASMUS Council, ask at your university or take a look at www.erasmus.ac.uk or www.esn.org (Erasmus Student Network).
The Leonardo programme: Another EU scheme, again giving students (or graduates) the chance to live in another country for up to a year, but this time the scheme is based around vocational training with an employer. www.leonardo.org.uk
Individual institutions: When looking at choosing a university, if you fancy a sojourn away from the UK, check the prospectuses to see if the course you want offers the chance to study abroad as not every course has opted to get involved in the schemes. Individual universities also have bursaries or scholarships to send their students out of the country.
Usually it’s only the cost of travel that’s covered, but occasionally there are awards, bursaries and prizes that fork out for all sorts of strange things like fees at overseas institutions, living expenses or T-shirts that say ‘My friend went to Padua and all he got was a few extra lousy CV points’.
Other sources of info: You could also try seeking out scholarships not restricted to your university. Or perhaps try contacting the embassy of the country you want to visit – see if there’s anything your host country can offer you. If you want to do your whole degree abroad, there’s a book called ‘Commonwealth Universities Yearbook’, published by Palgrave MacMillan, that might come in handy. It's pricey so see if the library, school or college can get one in for you.
For details of the UK SOCRATES-ERASMUS Council, ask at your university or take a look at www.erasmus.ac.uk or www.esn.org (Erasmus Student Network).
The Leonardo programme: Another EU scheme, again giving students (or graduates) the chance to live in another country for up to a year, but this time the scheme is based around vocational training with an employer. www.leonardo.org.uk
Individual institutions: When looking at choosing a university, if you fancy a sojourn away from the UK, check the prospectuses to see if the course you want offers the chance to study abroad as not every course has opted to get involved in the schemes. Individual universities also have bursaries or scholarships to send their students out of the country.
Usually it’s only the cost of travel that’s covered, but occasionally there are awards, bursaries and prizes that fork out for all sorts of strange things like fees at overseas institutions, living expenses or T-shirts that say ‘My friend went to Padua and all he got was a few extra lousy CV points’.
Other sources of info: You could also try seeking out scholarships not restricted to your university. Or perhaps try contacting the embassy of the country you want to visit – see if there’s anything your host country can offer you. If you want to do your whole degree abroad, there’s a book called ‘Commonwealth Universities Yearbook’, published by Palgrave MacMillan, that might come in handy. It's pricey so see if the library, school or college can get one in for you.
study abroad - useful links
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The British Council
britishcouncil.org.uk The Government-backed website promoting UK education and culture to our foreign friends. Useful information about how the UK higher education system works for international students, how to apply and potential sources of funding. ERASMUS erasmus.ac.uk If your university takes part in the Erasmus exchange scheme, you could spend between three months and the whole academic year in another European country. International Students internationalstudent.com The international student site with study abroad information, services and resources designed specifically for you. USApplicants usapplicants.com Information for students and parents on appliying to study in the US. |
Living in the EU - Monetos
monetos.co.uk The knitty-gritty of studying abroad can be very difficult to get your head around. Its one thing to order your EHIC, but finding out how doctors, bank accounts or local property rental laws work can be as tricky as a tricky thing. Monetos provides a good guide to these headaches... European City Guides euromost.info Traveling abroad? Whether for study, pleasure or lucrative arms trafficking purposes, make sure you know about the place you're going to. This site has surprising detailed information about some obscure and interesting destinations as well as the big cities. Don’t be put off by the 1990's look... Parcel to Go parcel2go.com Living in another country for a year is a fantastic experience that everyone should have the opportunity to do. However, choosing 20kg of your possessions that are important enough to take on the plane is both upsetting and futile. The peeps at Parcel2go let you have your cake and eat it by offering an international courier at student friendly prices, so you can take all of your shoes along for that year in Rome... |
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