After years of dreaming, it’s finally here. That’s right, at last it’s time to apply to study abroad in that one place that you’ve dreamed about since you first saw pictures of it as a kid. Sadly, while the idea of going abroad is wonderful, the process of getting there is anything but. Here are a few of the stages you will go through while applying to studying abroad (as told by the almost perfect Jennifer Lawrence.)
Stage One: Deciding Where to Go
Go online and look at the AU Study Abroad website, and the world almost literally opens up to you. With study abroad programs on six continents (Antarctica being the exception) there are a plethora of places to go abroad. If you don’t already have one country you specifically want to go to this makes the choice of where to apply increasingly more difficult. Luckily, this is not one of the worst problems to have in life, since no matter where you choose to study, you’ll have the time of your life.
Stage Two: Beginning the Application
You sit down on your bed, snuggled up under a blanket with a cup of coffee close at hand, log in to the AU Abroad portal, and prepare to begin the process of applying for your chosen program. You feel (for once) motivated, and completely prepared to face the challenge ahead.
Stage Three: Realizing the Actual Amount of Paperwork that Goes into the Application
Reading through the list of items needed for a completed study abroad application is kind of like reading through a syllabus at the beginning of the semester: You knew the class would be difficult, but didn’t really understand just how bad it would be until you were reading about the 15 different major assignments you had throughout the semester. For a study abroad application, these “assignments” include at least two advisor recommendations, meetings with said advisors to plan your schedule for the semester abroad, a disciplinary review, transcript, statement of intent, mandatory videos to watch…honestly, the list goes on and on. For some lucky students, an FBI background check complete with fingerprints is even needed. There goes the semester.
Stage Four: Refusing to Give in to the Application
No matter what, keep plowing through the requirements. Think about it this way: You got into college, and likely applied to way more than just one. If you could do, that are more than capable of making it through this one application. Probably.
Stage Five: Writing the Statement of Intent
Trying to funnel your intense excitement over studying abroad in that one perfect place into a short essay, all while not sounding completely and totally deranged, is no mean feat. Just make sure that the piece seems like it was written by a well-adjusted adult, and not someone begging to be allowed to abroad. Since that’s basically what you’re doing, just with better manners.
Stage Six: Waiting for the Decision
The horrible thing about the study abroad process is that, once you’ve successfully conquered the entire application and submitted it, you then have to wait to find out whether all that effort was worth it. For students in programs that are non-competitive, the stress is less acute. For those in competitive programs, well, in the words of Katniss herself, may the odds be ever in your favor.
Stage Seven: Finding Out You Got In
Then, finally comes the day when that decision comes through, and it becomes clear that all that hard work was worth it. You lose your mind, and immediately post a status on Facebook and/or an Instagram picture of your chosen city to tell the world. You are officially going abroad next semester, and being given the chance to be part of a whole new culture. The world is your oyster. It’s up to you what comes next.