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Meet with an Advisor
This is definitely a circumstance where you want to utilize your resources. Study abroad advisors are trained to help you pick the programs that are right for your specific interests and needs. They’ll know what questions to ask and what advice to give to help reassure you that you’ve chosen the right country and program.
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Do Some Research
Use this time to gain a little background knowledge about what will soon be your home for a whole semester. Get excited! Look at different festivals and holidays that will be celebrated during your time there, get a general idea of some different places you’ll want to eat, and new foods you will try. This will get you pumped to write your essays and make your writing more passionate and authentic!
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Request Your Letters Early
A letter of rec is one of the key pieces of your application. Professors are busy people so go to them early to ask for a recommendation. That way they have more time to really get to know you and you’ll be sure to get your application in on time.
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Outline Outline Outline
The questions (and therefore the answers) on abroad applications tend to get repetitive by nature. If you write outlines for all the questions beforehand you can avoid tons of rewrites later.
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Take Your Time
Filling out and writing all of documents and essay questions at once is exhausting. Spread out when you complete each task to avoid getting overwhelmed.
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Make it Personal
Why did you decide on this country and program? Talk about different aspects of the culture that you want to learn about and what you think study abroad will do for you in your life. Be as detailed as you can, the more you have to say about your goals and aspirations both during and after your time abroad makes all the difference.
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Submit it on Time!
Otherwise, you won’t go and this will all have been for nothing. Duh.