January 23–29, 2008, Number 174
Beau (inside the tree) and friends on their recent snowshoeing adventure in Copper Harbor to see the famous Fallen Giant tree.
Suggestions to a Future Study Abroader
Well my reign as article contributor is coming to an end. This should be my last, yet not the least, of my articles as a Michigan Tech study abroader. It has been an absolute pleasure contributing to the knowledge of others who desire or are looking into a future study abroad experience. In this last article I would like to make some suggestions to those who do plan on studying abroad, so here goes.
I guess I will start specifically with my experience and then move onto some more general study abroad suggestions. For me, my first suggestion is to make the decision. Measure your options; look at what benefits will come from such an experience. Convince your parents, or, in my case, parents convince your young adult student, that it's a must in today's collegiate experience. Once it's finalized that you are going to be going somewhere, figure out where and get an early start on paperwork. Research never hurts any situation. I suggest checking, and rechecking, on setting things up. Registrations with Michigan Tech, as well as contact with your study abroad host, makes sure things are in line. Remember too, when checking, and rechecking, to always be patient and honest, and let them know what your intentions are. Someone may end up thinking you don't trust him or her to get something done. That however is rarely the case. What more than likely happens is a misplaced piece of paperwork or an incorrectly entered data field in the school's database. Either way, patience and a calm demeanor are good things to hang onto.
When choosing a place to go, there may be limitations on already set up programs. These already organized programs will make it easier, as quirks have been assumingly worked out by previous student experiences. There are many different types of study abroad experiences. These depend on length, from a couple weeks to a year, and also much variety on locations and time of year. I was attempting to kill two birds with one stone and knock out my senior design requirements as well as a couple general education credits, so the programs that allowed this were kind of limited. But with a little research there is without a doubt a program that will fit your desires perfectly. Keep in mind that the schools spring study abroad fair will be taking place February 12 so this is a great opportunity to explore the possibilities. After going to Denmark, a place that I found has ridiculous amounts of rain and wind, I realize that climate may also play a role in where you might want to go. Hardly did the weather patterns deter me from experiencing what Denmark had to offer, but lets just say I didn't get much of a tan.
I cannot encourage enough the attitude of getting the most out of your experience. I would suggest holding your crazy college desires to moderations and really put effort into absorbing the culture, to observation, and getting out and finding an adventure. Get to know people who live there. Get to know other study abroad students. All the contacts that you make during this experience will just add to your overall enjoyment. If I have learned one thing these past four months from studying abroad and from writing these articles, it is the power of reflection. The benefit of sitting down and writing about or talking through with someone the feelings and emotions associated with these types of studies. No matter what approach you decide to take remember to learn as you go and make adjustments and don't be afraid to ask for a little help when needed.
I guess besides all the encouragement I can give to keep an open mind and keen radar for things to do. There are also some technical things that if they go smoothly you will never notice, but if there happens to be a problem, seem rather evident. Some of these technical things include passports, visas, medical coverage, electronic equipment, insurance, and of course money and finances. All of these, which we very much take for granted at home, can be lost, delayed, or even rendered unusable. So here are my suggestions for some of these things. The student study abroad packet has some great suggestions for these as well. If you don't already have a passport you will have to get one. A task that can be frustrating and expensive if pressed for time. So be sure to start early. And when you do finally get your passport, make copies of it and keep them with you and keep some at home to help aid in replacement. When traveling I purchased a neck passport holder (about eight bucks at Wal-Mart). Not going to lie, it was kind of uncomfortable but definitely kept my passport, as well as airline tickets and money, safe and accessible. Visas to get into, or stay in a country, are another thing that needs to be obtained. In my case I actually had to send my passport to the embassy of Denmark in the United States and have them issue the visa. Keep in mind that you will need to acquire your passport and in some cases send out your passport to get your visa, if needed. When dealing with medical issues I was fortunate to be stationed in a country with socialized healthcare, meaning it was full and free to anyone living in the country. So I didn't have to worry about anything while I was there. I don't believe this is always the case, so be sure to do some research and determine which is the best route to take.
As I was traveling and capturing memories, my camera and laptop became priceless commodities. I was fortunate enough to never have anything stolen, but losing this equipment wouldn't have been as much of a bummer as losing all the pictures that I had acquired. If I had had my belongings stolen, they were covered under my parents' homeowners insurance. I don't know if this is universal for every policy so check with your insurance provider to see.
Before I left I was very much wondering how I was going to handle my financial situations. I chose to use a credit card and my bank's debit card from back home. There were fees associated with using my debit card at foreign ATM's but they were very wide spread around Europe and with the different currencies from one country to another it was nice to just stop at the local ATM and automatically have the money at any time. I am certain that traveler's checks may have been a little more challenging to not only keep track of but to use as well. It was very nice to use a US account because my parents were around if there were to be an emergency or in case I needed a refill.
I guess one more thing would be communication. I used the computer program Skype and webcams to hold free video conferences with my family and friends. This was really a great choice. Skype also has the ability to set up call forwarding and local numbers to a point where I could call from my cell phone in Europe from anywhere through Skype and then connect with a cell phone in the States, and vice versa using only local call minutes. This feature did cost money but was very much reasonable for such a feature.
One of the great things about study abroad is that everyone in the host program understands that you are here on a study abroad experience and are generally encouraging of travels and adventures when good work is still being done. So I guess that will just about wrap it up for some suggestions but just remember that adventure is all around you, and you don't have to go half way around the world to experience something cool (see pictures).
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Good travels,
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