IMPORTANT!
 

TAKE THIS CHANCE NOW BEFORE YOU DON'T HAVE IT AGAIN!

classes will come n go, but how many times do you get to have an opportunity to TRAVEL AND LEARN. It's the best thing i have ever done, money was tight for me, BUT completely worth it!

i went to Salamanca, Spain, and i had the time of my life, i miss my spanish friends like you can't believe, but we talk all the time through email and phone calls (man is it cheap to call europe!)
I miss my irish friends i met there too, they are great people. ("buena gente!")

and the fun news, i got a job offer in Spain from someone i know there!

so my answer would be:
GO!

and oh yeah, I DIDN'T NEED THE CREDITS EITHER!

To echo what everybody else has said -- DO IT!!!

I studied in Agen, France for a summer during law school. It was an amazing experience and I'm really glad I went. I don't speak ANY French (except for the 10 necessary words I learned) but had a wonderful time.

When you're in school, it really is an awesome time for international travel. Once you're out, it's much harder -- either you don't have the money, or you don't have the time.

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!

I spent a summer at Oxford and absolutely loved it! I can't even tell you what a valuable experience it was. Even though it was four (gasp!) years ago this summer, something happens to remind me of it almost every day. Honestly, I didn't learn all that much in class, but got sooo much out of the traveling I did and just the overall experience of living in a foreign country.

GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!

Studying abroad was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had, and I would not give it up for anything! Even three years later I still have random moments where I think of something that happened. I spent a summer in London going to school and I travelled every weekend. My feeling was when else would I have the opportunity to live in a foreign country with 60 people that I became such good friends with. One thing that I am most grateful about this trip was that I learned so much. I learned in the classroom and I also learned out side of the classroom. I grew up a lot on this trip and it helped me realize that I would be able to survive on my own. Things that I did and learned on that trip will be with me forever

If you have the opportunity, go for it! No matter where you choose to study, it will be one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have!

Definitely go! Take the opportunity. I never got to study abroad when I was a student, and it has been one of my biggest regrets. Fortunately, I have been to Britain three times since then, and plan to visit the Continent in a year or so, but since I work in a University, I get a lot of vacation time! I have a couple of brothers who studied at Ball State's London Centre who were in Berlin when the Berlin Wall came down. They had their picture taken at the wall & with East German border guards. Made for awesome pictures with their Phi Sig letters on in the Greek Week slideshow!

i have not, but plan on it.... but just for the summer.

To give you all an update, I'm not going on the trip.

But it is for a good reason, I was denied admission to the college of Education (I wanted to be in Ag Ed) so now my major is still agriscience with a specialization in animalscience.

So in order to fit in all of these crazy ANS classes, I have to take summer classes so I can graduate on time *lol*

From May 15th - June 26th I will be in Orgo class and Molecular Biology. I need them to take my fall classes so it came down to not really having an option.

But the cool part is I only have 9 credits next spring before I graduate :)

The Best and Worse thing!
 

The best and worse thing about spending a year aborad is as follows:

1) The school I went to was so much better than my school that I was pissed at my school afterwards.

2) I lost sync with my posse back at my school.

3) I lost sync with my brothers as well which I think hurt some of my short term connections.

4) It was such an amazing experience that the one year abroad (in the UK) was better than the three years I spent at GWU.

My girlfriend went to Yale and she would never leave because who would ever want to leave Yale?

Re: The Best and Worse thing!
 

My roommate in Rome went to Yale. From what she said, they don't exactly encourage studying abroad.

I'm glad to see my thread was reserected

Well a new 6 week house-bout trip to Italy, France, Greece and A few other places has been formed for this summer. I'm going to talk to the Director of Study Abroad (one of my profs) to see about possibly being a TA since I gradute in May :) I'm only hesitant because I'm job hunting right now and I have told them I would be available as of May 15th 2004.

Re: Re: The Best and Worse thing!
 

I think they realise that the "college" experience in NH is all about the connections made over time. Also, I think they four years are pretty well orchestrated and If you really want to go abroad, apply for the Rhodes, eh?

Re: Have You Studied Abroad?
 

I know this is a little after the fact, but....

Whenever you have the opportunity to study overseas, take it!!! I spent four months living in Cambridge, England with 16 other students from my university and it was the best experience of my life. I would never trade those four months travelling (or the amount of money spent) for any other experience in the world. I still wish I could go back and study there again for another semester...the opportunity to meet new people and travel to all these places I'd only heard/learned about in school was incredible! I'm still in close contact with a number of the people I spent the four months with, and we all agreed that it was the best thing for us to do.

My chapter had at least one sister studying in Cambridge every semester for two years (and the director of the program is appointed for two years from our university), so there was an ADPi for both years our director was there! It was great to have that experience, because when myself and my roommate (another sister) arrived at our house, there was a box of items left in our room with a note from the sister who had just studied there the semester before (left for us there about three weeks earlier)....it was like we already had a homewarming gift from someone who knew what we were going to need and miss the most about being away from the States and our sisters. It was great!

I never studied abroad while in college.

In high school, I took an educational trip to Israel. I was put in a tour group with people who ranged from ages 15-20. It was one of the best times of my life. I learned so much and I was so immersed with how beautiful Israel is (I also went to Egypt). I went to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and a few other cities.

I really wish I had studied abroad while in college. A friend of mine did a study abroad in England and 2 others did a study abroad in Spain. They all came back raving about their experience and still talk about it to this day. I don't know of anyone who came back saying the experience wasn't worthwhile.

I still fine my self starting sentances with "that reminds me of ____ in Spain.....

ppl in the northern states (because i don't know if this happens to you southerners)
have you ever noticed how much it rains in the fall?
i noticed it while in spain, never really noticed it ever here in the states, and every time it has rained this fall it brings back memories of losing umbrellas and the craziness and fun times that a raindrop can make me remember...

I think the whole studying-abroad concept is such an amazing idea.

I was on the other end of the stick...when I applied to GMU, right outside of DC, they ran out of freshman housing, so I lived on the International Floor, with all the exchange students from other countries. These girls and guys were from Whales, Spain, Malta, Sweden, England, Africa, Nicaragua, Australia...pretty much everywhere you can imagine. The friendships that we all made are cemented for a lifetime..plus I know I always have a place to stay wherever I travel! I'll actually be going to Australia this coming Christmas to visit my old roommate, and as soon as I have the number of credits GMU requires to be able to study abroad...I'll definitely be doing it! Truly the best experience I've ever had, and I was only 20 miles from home. :) I can't even imagine what it'll be like when I'm on another continent!