Short Term Study Abroad Programs in UK on a Budget: Money Saving Tips for Those Who Want to DIY This Summer

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Abroad 101

For an incredible experience in the UK, many students choose to spend several months studying abroad for an unforgettable way of exploring a new location and seeking out adventure. Those who visit the location can enjoy trying different types of cuisine, traveling to nearby countries, and learning about the history of the location. To enjoy a short-term study abroad trip, there are a few ways to afford the cost and save money while you’re there.

Enroll Directly

Money saving DIY tip #1 is tuition. During the school year your home university has exchange partnerships, but nearly all of them do not apply over summer. Your financial aid package and loans generally do not apply over summer either, but don’t despair, many foreign universities offer what is commonly called international summer schools on their campus; some will even operate multiple themed programs and a few will even offer them in other cities. The University of Westminster offers a popular one in London; you can see others by using Abroad101’s advanced study abroad search and selecting, program length = summer and provider = Direct Enrollment, or typing “International Summer School” in the search box at the top menu of Abroad101.

Visit the Grocery Store

Although it may be a dream to spend your time dining over Cornish pastries or fish and chips each day, it’s important to limit your time at local cafes to save money. Opt for visiting a nearby grocery store each week so you can cook your own food. Instead of feeling deprived by avoiding local restaurants, you can allow yourself to dine out every few days so you can still enjoy the culture and meet a few locals in the city. Meals are also a great way to socialize and you might want to get 3 or 4 people in a supper club where each week one of the members cooks for the group and acts as host. It’s a nice way to deepen friendships, save money and have a nice meal.

Find a Host Family

One of the most expensive parts of studying abroad is the cost of room and board. Instead of spending a significant portion of your budget on booking a hotel or apartment or living on the campus, opt for staying with a host family. It will allow you to learn more about the culture, have a tour guide in the city, and learn more about the country’s customs. They may also cook for you. There are networks of host family placement services, your host university may have some recommendations or a referral service.

Use Public Transportation

Although it may feel like an inconvenience to rely on public transportation while traveling to and from school each day in the UK, it will allow you to have more room in your budget for other costs. Purchase a pass for the tube and consider using a bike to get around for areas that are of a short distance. Sometimes the overland rail system may be cheaper than the underground so check out both options and ask about student passes, again through the international office of your host university.

Rely on Skype

To maintain communication with friends and family who are back home during your time abroad, rely on Skype to have face-to-face interaction for a free way of communicating. You can also purchase a calling card for a cheaper way of making phone calls instead of relying on your cell phone.

Find a Part-time Job

One of the most common ways to afford living abroad for a short period of time is to find a job where you can work an average of 20 hours a week. The fact that you speak English will be a plus so think about being a tutor or instructor to non-English speakers, even at nearby schools. Many education positions are available through Randstad Education where you can assist with tutoring or teaching.

Use Student Airfares to Travel

While rail is common in the Europe, rail is sometimes not the cheapest way to travel. There are lots of budget airlines operating to the UK, but beware of the hidden fees as they charge you for EVERYTHING! One way around this uncertainty is to book your travel through StudentUniverse who has specially negotiated rates with over 70 airlines worldwide and books hundreds of thousands of flights a year for groups and individuals. On top of the great fares, they have telephone support in case anything goes wrong

Hopefully you’ll cast aside your fears of cost and find a way to the UK this summer. There’s never been a better time to do this!

Guest Posting from Victoria Moretti, a professional writer from the UK who contributes to Abroad101 from time to time. Victoria loves to write about businesses and macro economic affairs that move the needle. Her other loves include travel, long walks and flat whites.

Abroad101 Student of the Week #0043 – Rebecca Metzler

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Abroad 101

This week’s Abroad101 Student of the Week is a sophomore at Texas Tech University. Rebecca Metzler is a pre-nursing major who plans on heading to nursing school and eventually pursue a career as a mid-wife or neonatal. She is currently a member of the Double T Health Service Corps which is an organization that not only exposes her to knowledge about the field of nursing but also hands on experience at local organizations in Lubbock! Outside of school Rebecca devotes a majority of her time to volunteering. You can either find her at UMC Hospital, where she works along transports or the Therapeutic Riding Center, working with children. Way to get involved in your community, Rebecca!

Rebecca will soon be studying abroad in Port Elizabeth, South Africa through ISA service learning! Through this program she will have the opportunity to become educated through volunteer work and workshops covering topics such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, community wellness, and early childhood development. Rebecca is ecstatic to participate in this program because she will be learning through hands on experiences and become more educated about African medicine and healthcare techniques.

To help make this awesome goal a reality she has started a fundraising Mission to help cover some of the costs of the program. You can check out Rebecca’s Mission here!

The Abroad101 Student of the Week initiative awards a student who created a Mission for a study abroad program on GoEnnounce with a donation to their fundraiser. Learn more about this partnership from Abroad101 CEO Mark Shay and GoEnnounce co-founder Melissa Davis here.

We’re making weekly donations to study abroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals and make their travel dreams a reality. Visit here to help with this mission. To find out more about studying in South Africa, like Rebecca, visit the Abroad101 program page.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0043-rebecca-metzler/

The Study Abroad Advantage reaches 2,000 members!

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Abroad 101

The Study Abroad Advantage is a Linkedin Group designed to help study abroad alumni bring their experiences to the professional market. Students who have returned from abroad are encouraged to publish a review of their experience abroad and use this to highlight their ability to communicate, to use social media and their new perspective on the world. In addition to a place to network with other study abroad alumni and alumni group organizers, the Group features postings on career development and advice on how to apply lessons from abroad to the professional world. Prospective employers are invited to join the group to do some recruiting of the members and promote their firms.

The group hit a milestone last week with the 2,000th member, a student named Alexis Lupton from Brigham Young University. We asked her to comment on her study abroad experience and she said “I am always willing to embarrass myself a little for the greater good.” She went on to add more detail about her study abroad experience.

My study abroad experience was quite different than most, in that my study abroad was a travelling one instead of in just one city. We also did not have a traditional classroom. Our classrooms included: the UN, the U.S Embassy, Pepsico, UNESCO, and every where in between. My experience really taught me a lot about myself. I learned how important it is to step out of your comfort zone and really try new things. I saw the world from many different perspectives, from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral to the slums of Paris. Sometimes plans change unexpectedly and you just have to go with the flow (like our Morocco trip being cancelled and going to Vienna instead). I gained the independence to be able to do things alone even though it may have seemed a little unnerving, and you too, in the end, truly will not be let down. Overall the world is a fascinating place and my study abroad instilled a desire to always continue exploring.

Alexis Lupton – Student at Brigham Young University

If you’d like to connect with Alexis, you’ll find her profile on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alexis-lupton/26/107/152

We invite you to get the study abroad advantage by joining and becoming active in “The Study Abroad Advantage” https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Study-Abroad-Advantage-8159424/about

Overcoming Employer Skeptisim of Study Abroad

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Mark Shay

Those of us who work in International Education see the rewards of students returning home from abroad. They are wiser, confident and more mature, and we naturally think that Study Abroad is a great step toward a rewarding career. As a student who has overcome all the obstacles that study abroad might put in your way, I’m sure you would agree that the eye opening experiences, greater independence and self-awareness provide a jump-start in your career. Unfortunately, there are many hiring managers and employers who don’t see it that way.

Study Abroad may not be the secret ticket to getting a jump-start in the career place. Many human resource professionals and hiring managers do not value experiences abroad when making hiring decisions, and while corporate and organizational leaders talk about the global workplace, your study abroad alumni card isn’t your FAST-PASS to the front of the line.

The following two quotes are just a sampling of some of the biases that exist against study abroad:

“People put ‘study abroad’ on their resume. I actually like when they don’t study abroad because that means they aren’t entitled.” – Millard Drexler

Millard “Mickey” S. Drexler is the current chairman and CEO of J.Crew Group and formerly the CEO of Gap Inc. He has been a director at Apple Inc. since 1999. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/millarddre532208.html

and

“Studying abroad can be a nice “add on” in theory, but it also can be a waste of time, or simply a good time, for an unfocused – and privileged – high school or university student.” And “And even the best programs will do little for an unmotivated student.” – Curtis S. Chin

Curtis S. Chin, the United States ambassador to the Asian Development Bank from 2007 to 2010, is the managing director of RiverPeak Group, an advisory firm. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/17/should-more-americans-study-abroad/studying-abroad-can-be-an-expensive-waste-of-time

Entitled. Privileged. We also hear that study abroad returnees are viewed as unmanageable, always with a cause, always want to change things and even anti-corporate. These are stereotypes and just like you had stereotypes of the place you visited before you left, you now have a label associated with you. How you handle this label and the associated bias will affect how your career unfolds.

Stress the workplace values when talking about study abroad

Now before you panic and sign up for grad school or an internship program or resolve yourself to teaching English in some remote corner of the world, there is hope. There’s work you need to do, but there’s real hope turning what some perceive as lemons, into lemonade.

Consider the following statements.

“Study abroad doesn’t count to an employer unless the job candidate can say how it has made them a better person, scholar, citizen, and professional…” – Linda S. Gross, Associate Director of Career Services, Michigan State University

http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Help-Students-to/123653/

According to a 2012 survey of employers done by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute (CERI) at Michigan State University (MSU), hiring managers considered study abroad to be of “limited importance” in relation to recruiting new graduates. In fact, study abroad was ranked the least important of several college activities, with internships listed the most valuable activity.

So how do you highlight your study abroad experience?

Keep this in mind. Employers want creative, independent thinkers who can work in teams, take responsibility and get things done.

Think in professional analogies about your time abroad and how you overcame obstacles and how those prepared you for the workplace. How did you show leadership? How did you take responsibility? How did you pull together disparate people and get them operating as a team? How did you face long odds, overcome poor preparation and lack of support and achieve something notable? What got you out of bed in the AM and got you to avoid the distractions of the social and partying scene?

Do not simply talk about how great it was abroad, what wonderful friends you made and the amazing sites you’ve seen. If that is your focus the following is what an employer could think.

“I’m not interested in your life journeys. This includes your experiences studying abroad, even if you had an amazing time. Save these musings for late night dorm room chats with your best friend.” By Katherine Goldstein

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/08/ cover_letter_writing_advice_how_to_write_a_cover_letter_for_an_entry_level.html

Instead, translate your experiences abroad into practical examples of how you have matured and can take on responsibility. If going abroad means you can enter into an honest conversation about how to take and offer criticism, then your experience has prepared you well. If you can articulate how lucky you were, how humbling the experience was and how you want to rise to serve, you have a real chance at breaking the privileged student stereotypes that surround study abroad. Hiring a study abroad graduate should give employers the confidence that they will get an employee who is a problem solver, a confident well-spoken team player who will be a loyal asset to the company.

Convey these messages while interviewing and you will now have The Study Abroad Advantage.

Feel free to add your comments below and join our initiative called The Study Abroad Advantage on LinkedIn and Twitter.

But How Did Study Abroad Help Me In My Career?

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Abroad 101

Static

When I arrived in Barajas Airport in Madrid, I was greeted by Cristina Blanco, the (fabulous) director of the program. My mouth felt sticky, I was terribly jet-lagged, and still left-over anxious over having had my visa inspected. When I saw Cristina holding the sign that said CIEE (just like the literature said she would be), and wearing a big smile, I was relieved. At least, I was relieved until she said “sshhhrrrrshhsshhrrr.”

This was what castellano sounded like to me.

I smiled emptily at her. “¿Cómo?” I asked. “What?”

“Sshhhrrrrsshrr,” she repeated kindly, pointing over to a growing group of young people about my age.

Over there. She wanted me to go over there and join the rest of the group. I nodded and moved in the direction she indicated, but I had understood nothing. I was terrified.

It all felt so unfair. I had studied Spanish in school for eight years. I knew words! I knew a lot of words! I listened to Juanes all the time! I liked Pedro Almodóvar films! And instead of feeling confident, the entire world turned into static.

At first I cried a lot. I was exhausted after having a five minute conversation with my host family. I fell asleep watching my English language DVDs every night. But after two weeks or so the static began to clear out. The shhhhrrrrshhhhhh sounds distilled into words that I recognized and could soon use. Two months in, I was able to joke with my host family, and on the airplane home I was able to discuss Spanish politics in Spanish.

editors note: You can read the full program review on Abroad101!

But how did this help me in my career?

I teach American Literature and ESL (English as a Second Language) in a high school in Queens, New York. Approximately 70% of my students are former English Language Learners, and of these 55% speak Spanish at home. Speaking Spanish is obviously useful. Anywhere you work in the world, speaking Spanish can only be an asset. But you probably already knew that.

Those two weeks I spent lost in static taught me more about second language acquisition than I could learn from a textbook. The strategies I used are strategies that I encourage my students to use.

Sit in the front of the classroom and minimize distractions.
Read for the gist of paragraphs rather than trying to understand every word on the page.
Use context clues when you can and a dictionary when you can’t.
Use physical and facial cues to help construct meaning.
Ask people to slow down or say it again.
Ask for help and ask questions.
Speak your native language when you need to. It’s totally fine.

I strongly believe that I have a better understanding of how to teach literature to ELLs and former ELLs because of my experience abroad. Teachers of ELLs are encouraged to discuss strategies for learning, as well as concepts to be learned. I had to learn these strategies for myself, so when I present these ideas, I am speaking as someone with experience, not someone who only read about these strategies in Chapter 2. Because we have all braved the static, we know we can trust each other to get to the point where the words come freely.

– Elizabeth Tanzer-Ritter
For StudyAbroad101.com

Elizabeth Tanzer-Ritter

I am in my eighth year of teaching English and ESL in the highly diverse New York City Public Schools. I graduated from Brandeis University in 2007 with a major in English Language and Literature and a double minor in Secondary Education and Spanish Language and Literature. I studied abroad during my junior year of college. I studied in Alcalá de Henares, Spain in 2006 (and it was awesome). I earned a graduate degree from Queens College in English Education in 2011 and a certificate in TESOL from St. John’s University in 2013. I love what I do and I am so grateful to be able to apply my experiences abroad to my experience in the workplace.

2015: Study Abroad by the Numbers

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Abroad 101

Study Abroad Destination popularity from StudentUniverse.com –

Every year, thousands of American students visit other countries for a semester of study abroad. But where are they all going? We took a look at the most popular city destinations from students from all 50 states (based on our booking data).

Check out the results displayed on the map below.

Want a discount on your flight or excursions abroad? Visit StudentUniverse.com, use promo code 2rq9hk9sg5ab at checkout* and receive $20 off your international flight!

Abroad101 Student of the Week #35 – Dakota Lum

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Abroad 101

The recipient of our Abroad101 Student of the Week award is Dakota Lum, a freshman at Northern Arizona University. Dakota is an electronic media and film major with a minor in Spanish. She loves rugby and even started her high school’s girls rugby team her senior year. On top of being athletic, Dakota is a hard worker when it comes to academics and has multiple favorite subjects. Just this semester she is balancing 19 units, work, playing rugby, and launching a photography business with her mom.

Dakota has aspirations after college to land a job within the media industry. To help her reach this goal she has has applied for a journalism internship in Florence, Italy through World Endeavors. This trip abroad will not only allow her to gain invaluable experience in her field of study but she will also be learning Italian! Learn more about Dakota and her Mission to study abroad in Florence here!

We’re making weekly donations to study abroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals and make their travel dreams a reality. Visit here to help with this mission. To find out more about studying in Florence, like Dakota, visit the Abroad101 program page.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0035-dakota-lum

Abroad101 Student of the Week #32 – Wes Lindenmuth

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Abroad 101

Abroad101 Student of the Week winner #32 is Wes Lindenmuth. Wes is currently a junior at the University of Cincinnati. He is a communications, business, and information technology major who is looking to study abroad in Florianopolis, Brazil for the spring 2015 semester. He will be attending the Universade De Federal Santa Catarina, which is one of the top 5 universities in South America.

Wes is very excited about this opportunity because it will allow him to build international connections that are essential to his fields of study. While in Brazil, he will be specifically studying international economics and portuguese. Wes believes that understanding international business, as well as learning a new language, will be tremendously valuable to his academic development and professional versatility. And we couldn’t agree more! Check out Wes’ Fundraising Mission for his plane ticket to get him to Florianopolis here!

We’re making weekly donations to studyabroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals to make their travel dreams a reality. Visit here to help with this mission. To find out more about studying in Brazil, like Wes, visit the Abroad101 program page.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

– See more at: – See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0032-wes-lindenmuth

Abroad101 Student of the Week #34 – Lydia Santoscoy

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Abroad 101

Abroad 101 Student of the Week #34 is Lydia Santoscoy from the University of Texas at El Paso. Lydia is a junior, studying business (marketing to be exact). She has a strong passion for education and not only loves to learn herself but enjoys sharing the joy of learning with others. Lydia participates in many extracurricular activities such as dancing, painting, poetry and more. In the future Lydia wants to focus on teaching underprivileged kids throughout the world, in order to become more culturally sensitive. This will help her in the future a a marketer when she eventually attempts to market for green energy innovations.

Lydia is planning on studying abroad this coming semester and is headed to Heredia, Costa Rica and will be attending the world renowned university, Universidad Latina. This is one of the largest private schools in Costa Rica. She will be studying marketing (with a concentration in Latin American) while having the opportunity to experience a new culture. Lydia will be living with a host family and immersing herself in the Latin American culture. We think this study abroad experience is a great stepping stone to help her reach her ultimate goal of becoming a marketer for a green energy corporation (solar, wind, or green materials such as hemp) targeting Latin America! She has started a fundraising Mission to help with the cost of the expensive airfare needed for this trip. You can check out Lydia’s Mission here!

We’re making weekly donations to study abroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals and make their travel dreams a reality. Visit here to help with this mission. To find out more about studying in Costa Rica, like Lydia, visit the Abroad101 program page.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0034-lydia-santoscoy

Abroad101 Student of the Week #33 – Aaron Hurd

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Abroad 101

Our Abroad101 Student of the Week recipient # 33 is Aaron Hurd, a sophomore at Colorado State University. Aaron is a political science major with minors in Spanish and Arabic. He enjoys many things such as baseball, soccer, and experiencing other cultures. In the future, Aaron hopes to accomplish many goals that range from attending graduate school to going into the intelligence field. Aaron has always dreamt of perfecting his spanish speaking skills and it looks like he has the opportunity to do just that by studying this spring at La Universidad de Alcalá in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. He’s one step closer to this dream with the help of our friends at Abroad101. Learn more about Aaron and his educational adventure by visiting his fundraising Mission here!

We’re making weekly donations to study abroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals and make their travel dreams a reality. Visit here to help with this mission. To find out more about studying in Spain, like Aaron, visit the Abroad101 program page.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0033-aaron-hurd

Abroad101 Blog

Study Abroad News

Category Archives: For Students

Short Term Study Abroad Programs in UK on a Budget: Money Saving Tips for Those Who Want to DIY This Summer

Abroad101 Student of the Week #0043 – Rebecca Metzler

The Study Abroad Advantage reaches 2,000 members!

Overcoming Employer Skeptisim of Study Abroad

But How Did Study Abroad Help Me In My Career?

Static

2015: Study Abroad by the Numbers

Abroad101 Student of the Week #35 – Dakota Lum

Abroad101 Student of the Week #32 – Wes Lindenmuth

Abroad101 Student of the Week #34 – Lydia Santoscoy

Abroad101 Student of the Week #33 – Aaron Hurd