Studying abroad is becoming more and more talked about as our generations become increasingly independent and curious to see the world outside their Americanized and sheltered environments. The University of Arizona offers an ample variety of programs to choose from ranging from durations of 4 weeks to 10 months. Take your pick of over 60 countries in 170 different study abroad programs! Not to mention the numerous other programs in the UA Departmental Exchange and UA Affiliated 3rd Party Provider Programs. Are you interested in Religious Studies? Spend 4 summer weeks touring the Black Sea and Caucasus Mountain landscape throughout the exquisite countries of Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia while earning 6 UA direct credits! Spanish major or minor? Why not master those skills in an immersion experience of a lifetime and spend a semester or two in Viña del Mar, Chile and come back speaking and writing Spanish like it’s just another Britney Spears song! The options are endless and the experience impeccable priceless! I know I know; there is that one thing that many of us college girls are scarce in these days. It keeps us eating Top Ramen on a nightly basis, Bursaring our expensive “textbooks”, and resulting to cheap vodka and Keystone beer on Thursday nights. Even though money is tight and tuition is rising I am here to let all the lovely ladies of UA know studying abroad IS possible! A multitude of scholarships, grants, and financial aid are available for students studying abroad. You just need to take some time in between all that studying and partying to apply for the ones most relevant to your soon to be trip-of-a-lifetime. To lend some confidence here is a little insight to just a few of the abundant scholarships out there just for you!
Boren Awards for International Study© offers up to $20,000 for undergraduate students to study in one of 87 less-traveled destinations. Boren programs show emphasize on less commonly taught languages, long term immersions, and public service. February 9th, 2012 is the deadline for 2012 Boren Scholarships. Follow the link to find more information on Boren Awards and to get contact information for the UA Boren Representative located at the Honors College on campus: http://www.borenawards.org/
The German Academy Exchange Service (DAAD) offers undergraduate and graduate students scholarships worth up to $10,000 for study abroad or participating in a German exchange. Go to http://www.daad.org/ to read detailed blogs captivating the experience from the students themselves and to find out specific deadline information.
Fund for Education Abroad is another amazing organization that awarded 8 scholarships last year. November 14th, 2011 is the application deadline for the 2012-2013 academic school year. FEA is funded by generous donors and awards up to 10 winners every year with scholarships worth up to $10,000! So get your booties on it because that very well could be you! Visit http://www.fundforeducationabroad.com/ for more details on how to apply.
Whether you want to spend a semester studying on the beaches of Australia, engage in a year-long exchange at the modernized University of Hong Kong, or devote a summer to practicing international journalism in the lushes rainforests of Costa Rica, there is an abroad or exchange program that is perfect for you and your studies! Don’t let the thought, “How in the world can I afford this?!?” even cross your mind! Hundreds of scholarships are floating around out there just waiting to be snatched up. That is free money ladies. Don’t let it slip away! Go to the University of Arizona’s Study Abroad and Student Exchange program page: http://studyabroad.arizona.edu/viewprograms to select your specifics on destinations, term, courses, and topics to find an array of programs to ponder and get excited about!
We are only young once my lovely Lady Wildcats! What better time to see the world, make new friends (not many people can say they have BFFs all around the globe), get outside that boring and tedious classroom routine, make yourself a bilingual (or trilingual?) speaking machine, and of course… expand your horizons in the world of men (they’re just so much sexier with an accent)!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Arizona chapter.