I want to preface this article by saying that everyone has a completely different application experience. Depending on your major, program, and whether or not you are an exchange student or a general study abroad student, you will experience different obstacles along the way.
Studying abroad in college is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I had dreamt about my first experience leaving the country years before I was even in college; I knew that this was something I needed to do before my four years were over. I watched my sister travel to Italy with her university and saw how it had changed her, and gave her a new passion for life and travel that I had never seen in anyone before.
When I started asking around about opportunities to go abroad, it seemed like everyone believed that between the crazy schedules of a biology major, the class rigor, and the inability to transfer credits, it would be nearly impossible to take a semester abroad. There was this stigma surrounding a semester abroad for science majors. Regardless of what I had heard, I pushed on with the process, knowing that there was a possibility that it might not work out. I am now a junior biology major, in the process of applying to an abroad program for next semester.
My process began in February of this year, when a friend of mine had recently made a visit to the IPO office to talk about her own possibilities as an exchange student. I went in, started my registration, and a few weeks later was meeting with an adviser. After talking about all of my potential options, and discussing my goals for the semester, there was nothing left for me to do except go home, talk to an academic advisor, and figure out where I really wanted to go.
As proactive as I was trying to be in the process, by the time I spoke to an adviser, there were no more spots left in the exchange program that I wanted. But even after discussing alternate programs, I weighed my options, and decided to be a study abroad student rather than do an exchange in another program.
Before I departed for the summer, my last stop was to talk to an academic advisor to make sure I could get credit while abroad. At the meeting I was told that all I could really do was fulfill general education credit, or receive no credit at all. A little saddened by the conversation, I left for the summer with my hopes high, but not really knowing if everything would work out.
Anxious about the process, I began my online application a little prematurely. I also started pulling together my transcript, asked a professor for a recommendation, and began lining up my classes for the semester with the help of my abroad advisor. Along the way, she helped me figure out a way to be able to get credit in my major, and the process became easier almost instantaneously.
Some tips I have picked up along the way:
1. Do your homework before you meet an advisor — Have an idea of any requirements you would want to fulfill while abroad, and have a general idea of where (and why) you want to go.
2. Get to know your advisor — They know the most about the experience and they are there to help you.
3. Passport — If you don’t already have a passport, I would suggest looking into it over the summer before you apply. Getting a new passport can take up to 6 weeks, and it’s better to be over-prepared than under.
4. Contact your professor — Do this sooner rather than later when it comes to writing you a recommendation. It gives them more time to write it, and you aren’t worried about getting it in last minute.
I’m here to tell you that you can do it. As a bio major, or any major at all – you can go abroad, live your dream, and stay on track. Don’t let anything stop you from trying to go. The process is stressful, and a bit of work, but like anything else — you get out of it what you put into it.