Parents and American students relate studying abroad typically to the cost. Many students forget the fact it’s not necessary to study abroad and spend money to gain an international experience. Students can choose to volunteer abroad even without leaving the country or intern abroad, and get paid while gaining an international experience. Let’s talk about all three options
Study Abroad
Students can apply their current on-campus financial aid package to their study abroad trip. For students who pay out-of-state-tuition, studying abroad can be cheaper than a traditional on-campus semester.
A study abroad scholarship is a monetary award for students to use toward the expenses of their program such as travel, course, credits, books and lodging. Students must apply for scholarships because some of the scholarships are underutilized because of student’s hesitation to cost. There are several types of study abroad scholarships and we will discuss few sources
- Merit-based:These awards are based on a student’s academic abilities, and often factor in an applicant’s extracurricular activities and community service record.
- Student-specific:These are scholarships for applicants who initially qualify based on factors such as gender, race, religion, family and medical history, or many other student-specific factors. Minority scholarships are common awards in this category
- Destination-specific:These are scholarships awarded as an incentive to study in that country instead of elsewhere.
- Program-specific:Scholarship are based on academic and personal achievement.
Volunteer Abroad
One other option American students should consider to gain international experience is volunteer abroad programs. This is an excellent way to gain international exposure, perhaps even without leaving the country or even if you do without spending more money. Many volunteer abroad programs are offered during summer so you have to plan
There are also volunteer abroad scholarships available for American students, and anyone over the age of 16 can apply. Some programs also offer stipends to offset expenses and many funding opportunities from third party organizations are available
Intern Abroad
Internship abroad experience can be used as credit towards the course work, and therefore this is a great option for students who can gain international exposure, get paid and credits against course work. Internet and social media has made opportunities to find internship abroad more easy and students can do individual research to meet their needs. Once again most of these programs are offered in summer so students need to plan ahead. Education USA is an excellent resource for US students interested in opportunities s abroad. Also, provided are more links that can help American students with their international exposure.
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