Studying Abroad 101

THERE are different reasons why people study abroad. One can actually grouped these people into two – the ones who are barely entering college; and adults which are on continuing education programs.

Naturally, there is only one reason why a person who has barely graduated from high school enters college in another country – the adventure. The next thing the person intends to question is on whether to study in a country where English is also the first language like Australia or used as a second language like the Philippines or is barely used at all like South Korea. Some of the students love the challenge in staying in a strange country but for other countries like England, Australia and South Africa, one will find himself or herself still lost in translation though as English here is heavily accented the non-rhotic way.

That is, if you don’t come from New England where English is naturally non-rhotic. Whichever of the three you will choose; it still is definitely an adventure. The first thing one needs to do before embarking on an international travel is to apply for a passport. Here in the United States, there are 9,000 passport processing facilities scattered from state to state. There are actually only minimal documents needed in securing for a passport. All you need to have are two photographs of yourself, proof of citizenship and a valid identification card. The photographs must be taken within six months upon applying. You got to pay $60 for a passport application and it takes at least two weeks for it to be processed.

For children, there are additional requirements needed like the child’s birth certificate, pediatrics record as well as pertinent school records. The adult filing on behalf of the child must likewise present his or her identification as parent or a copy of the court order establishing one as the custodian of that child. For renewal of passports, the fee is pegged at $67. The next thing one needs to do is to secure one’s billeting upon embarking on a foreign study. Usually, these are handled by the foreign exchange schools concerned. But there are instances when the college doesn’t include the billeting of foreign students but it may recommend a dormitory. So before signing on any contract, you must have some information on the dormitory concerned i.e. it is not located in a crime-porn area. If possible, you may know ahead whether it has an emergency exit or not and if the emergency exit is accessible. There are emergency exits which are just established there to comply with building requirements but are locked by the owners of the dormitory.

One must also know whether the dormitory is a coeducational or are sex-specific and whether the bathrooms are shared by both sexes. There are some people who may find it a little bit discomforting when sharing bathrooms with other housemates for health reasons. Yet there are still other instances that a room unit inside the dormitory is coeducational as well. In the end, it must be at the discretion of the foreign student on where he or she likes to be billeted.