I studied through a program at my U.S. university that took us to Salamanca, Spain, which is about 1 hour west of Barcelona. While Salamanca was a painfully small town, it was close enough to Barcelona that we were able to go their several times a week. We also took trips to Madrid and Portugal during the weekends. I don’t necessarily recommend studying in Salamanca unless you know that you’re going through a university that arranges for you to take trips on the weekends. We also stayed in apartments, which was really cool. I have friends that have stayed in families while studying in Spain and they didn’t like it because they felt restricted. They learned better Spanish that I did though!

Your surroundings can make a huge difference when you are trying to study. Dorm rooms tend to be too loud and busy for you to focus. You may find it preferable to discover a locale that is quiet. Studying in a library is always a great idea. If you do not have any other choice, buy some noise-canceling headphones.

There are a few options though. You can work over a summer and save up your money, or if you have a stellar academic record, you can apply for a scholarship. While these may be difficulty to find and even harder to win, you should still give it a shot.

You can visit a college during its open house because the admissions office will schedule many activities during that day. That means you can get a lot of information about what to expect from financial aid to yurtdışı üniversite to academic life. But there is a downside. A lot of planning goes into open house and you may not see the campus on a real day. The college is going to put its best foot forward on that day for prospective students. They want you to see the school in the best possible light.

One note I’d make here is that it might be worth jumping to a different program in the same country or the same city. Don’t let the trip turn into a failure. Heck, they’re already in Madrid, you might as well see what other options there are! Give up on the program, not on study abroad.

Visiting Australia is fun no matter where you stay. Students can explore Tasmanian forests, or enjoy the urban area of Sydney. Australians like to have fun and love adventure, so there is all sorts of things you can do like go bungee jumping, sky dive, and surf. For those who like marine biology or the ocean, Australia is a perfect spot for you to explore the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, the island north east of the country.

I’m not sure about this one. I view my job at RateMyStudyAbroad as less evangelizing for study abroad (lots of people do this) and more bringing a degree of critical thoughtfulness to all these different programs that are already out there.

No matter what you do, becoming an expatriate is a life-changing experience that if you’re thinking of pursuing you should act on. You won’t regret it.