Living/ Studying Abroad?

[Dbbuzbee]

I have always been in love with the idea of living abroad. The cultural immersion has always been something that I've thought would be cool but never considered it. Now, I am a High School junior, gearing up to make a decision on college. (Parents really want me to go to college and are paying for it, I know the problems with college and that's why I'm considering this) Recently, I've been thinking about doing something different than the "pack" and I think going to an international university would fit the bill. I would like to study business but that's not official I haven't looked in depth on offerings of any schools because I don't know where to start. I would like anyone's opinions who have lived abroad or studied on 1) The best places to go for Americans in your opinion, (I only have proficiency in English) and 2) Where would you go or any other thing related to the topic of living abroad.

 

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[G-Man]

I have always been in love with the idea of living abroad. The cultural immersion has always been something that I've thought would be cool but never considered it. Now, I am a High School junior, gearing up to make a decision on college. (Parents really want me to go to college and are paying for it, I know the problems with college and that's why I'm considering this) Recently, I've been thinking about doing something different than the "pack" and I think going to an international university would fit the bill. I would like to study business but that's not official I haven't looked in depth on offerings of any schools because I don't know where to start. I would like anyone's opinions who have lived abroad or studied on 1) The best places to go for Americans in your opinion, (I only have proficiency in English) and 2) Where would you go or any other thing related to the topic of living abroad.

I definitely benefited from studying abroad and living abroad as an adult, but, much like any other experience in life, it is what you make it. There are lots of US universities that have exchange programs that make it easy to get a a semester or year abroad. Look into it. You need to clarify why you wanna do this, because if mom and pops are paying for it, here's what's going through their mind when you say "Mom and Dad, I wanna study abroad"

Mom: "My son wants to get smacked by a bus in Brussels or die of some weird disease in Indonesia."
Dad: "My son wants to get laid on every continent except the one where there's only penguins."

To answer your question: There is no best place. It depends on what you want. I went to University for a semester in Spain, worked in Africa, and worked/went to school in Thailand. All were different, and all were good experiences for different reasons.

 

[Waspy]

Come to a England.

It's just like America, only colder, and more expensive. But you can say you studied abroad!

 

[Mattie]

I have always been in love with the idea of living abroad. The cultural immersion has always been something that I've thought would be cool but never considered it. Now, I am a High School junior, gearing up to make a decision on college. (Parents really want me to go to college and are paying for it, I know the problems with college and that's why I'm considering this) Recently, I've been thinking about doing something different than the "pack" and I think going to an international university would fit the bill. I would like to study business but that's not official I haven't looked in depth on offerings of any schools because I don't know where to start. I would like anyone's opinions who have lived abroad or studied on 1) The best places to go for Americans in your opinion, (I only have proficiency in English) and 2) Where would you go or any other thing related to the topic of living abroad.

I don't know if it's true, but I read on the Expat for Netherlands, that they're trying to make it the European Start-up hub here. So may be a good opportunity at one of the Universities in the Netherlands. I would do further research on it though.

 

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[Pedro Henrique]

Man, I live in Brazil and one of my wishes is to live abroad definitely. I think it would just brings positive things to your life, learn a new language, a new routine, new habits, new kind of food. Man, I would take this chance without think twice. Just do it.

1- Dude, go to the country you most like, don't think about the language, that is the least of your worries. When I went to the USA and didn't know how to speak english, just a few words, I did very well communicating with others. Once you are in a place that everyone speak other idiom, you start learn faster.
2- I would go to USA, Spain, England, Germany(for a alcohol reason hahahaha). Actually, I would go to any place in Europe.

 

[G-Man]

Come to a England.

It's just like America, only colder, and more expensive. But you can say you studied abroad!

I LOLed at this one.

 

[startinup]

I just got back last summer from a semester abroad in Budapest, Hungary.

It was a life changing experience!

Literally the best 6 months of my life so far, so I would highly recommend going abroad to anyone. Here are the characteristics I think are most important to consider when studying abroad:

1) Cost of Living: In Budapest as an American (or Brit, Swed, Norwegian, etc.) you are pretty rich. The cost of food is tiny and I paid 300 a month for rent and utilities for an apartment in one of the most beautiful areas of Budapest. And my rent was on the high end of those who stayed there at my school. The low cost of living changed my thinking.

It made me want to continue that type of life forever. I experienced the lowest levels of stress I've had in college and lived very comfortably and cheaply at the same time.

2) Location: Budapest is pretty centrally located in Europe. As a result, I could travel to other countries easily, 11 different ones in 6 months, and fly very cheaply. One of the best parts of living in Europe was the fact that you could experience a lot of different cultures very easily. We traveled most weekends of the semester witnessed cultural differences constantly.

3) Culture: Budapest is an interesting place Culturally, mostly because of Hungary's poor history in warfare. Invaded by Turks, Austrians, Occupied by Nazi Germany, and Soviet Russia. It has been subtly influenced by lots of different cultures along the way. I found the cultural differences to be an amazing part of the experience. There are clues of different occupations in history around the city. From Turkish baths and spires to Austrian architecture everywhere, these little hints of cultural influence are very different from the relatively short history of the U.S.

---

Ok, so with all that in mind, here are my recommendations:

1) Budapest (I'm a bit biased after living there for over half a year )

• Very low cost of living: Bread is pennies a loaf, a good meal out is 3 bucks, etc.
• Central location: It was very easy and cheap to travel, public transportation is the best I saw in Europe and there is a bus to the airport)
• Culture: Hugely influenced by different cultures, the people are interesting, a bit self-deprecating about their country's past, but still very proud.

2) Prague

• Very low cost of living: Almost as cheap as Budapest, but a bit more pricey in general.
• Very Central location: Buses all throughout Europe stop in Prague and they also have an airport too.
• Culture: Very old feeling in the city, similar to that of Vienna and Budapest but older. More eastern European feel than Budapest and Vienna too.

3) Somewhere in Germany (Not too familiar, but liked it there and it's very central)

• Decent cost of living: Similarly priced to the U.S. honestly. You're not gonna feel too rich there unless you are rich by U.S. standards. With that said, see next point.
• As Central as you can get: Easy access to everywhere. All the big cities have airports, buses, and trains for transport.
• Culture: Interesting culturally, very very... German feel. They've had a strong national identity in the past and it shows in their country and the people there.

---

Ok, so before I get carpal tunnel let's wrap this up.

I highly recommend studying abroad. I was honestly a little nervous at first. I thought, "What if I go abroad and don't make friends and hate the culture" and a bunch of other negative bull. Thankfully, I had the balls to just embrace whatever happens and roll with the punches.

I have definitely changed as a person from going abroad. It has positively impacted my life in more ways than I probably realize. I can't say enough good things about the experience.

If I were you, I'd do it!

P.S. In Europe it's really not a big deal to only speak English. Hungarian is known as one of the toughest languages, I learned a few key words and was fine most of the time, the younger generations in most of Europe learn English. Sometimes you feel like a tourist, but it's all just part of the fun.

 

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[silentownage001]

I have always been in love with the idea of living abroad. The cultural immersion has always been something that I've thought would be cool but never considered it. Now, I am a High School junior, gearing up to make a decision on college. (Parents really want me to go to college and are paying for it, I know the problems with college and that's why I'm considering this) Recently, I've been thinking about doing something different than the "pack" and I think going to an international university would fit the bill. I would like to study business but that's not official I haven't looked in depth on offerings of any schools because I don't know where to start. I would like anyone's opinions who have lived abroad or studied on 1) The best places to go for Americans in your opinion, (I only have proficiency in English) and 2) Where would you go or any other thing related to the topic of living abroad.

I go to IU which is a top 10 business school in the US and I'm currently spending my summer at the London School of Economics. If you do go to college I'd suggest going to the best one you can. I've met some great friends (one of whom is a successful entrepreneur with what I believe to be a 6-figure business) as well as great professors.

The thing for me is I'm from NJ and besides Princeton there are not any great schools. At those schools you will probably not be taught by people who are successful in business. One of my professors launched two businesses: one failed, but the other he "sold to a company in Seattle". Another professor has been a top executive at a number of companies. And yet another has his own company. The last couple weeks of the semester he was in the midst of raising $500,000 in a funding round. He had half of it in a week. Later this year he's doing a round for $5,000,000.

My point is that if you go to a top school, no matter where, I believe that you can establish a great network. You can do it without school as well, but it is one method of doing it. Honestly, there are so many crappy schools that I question the point of going if you aren't at a great school.

Now, for studying abroad I decided to do a summer so because I didn't want to be gone for a semester and because I have a lot of classes I need to take. The LSE summer program has 3 sessions each 3-weeks long. I just finished my first class and I have one to go. A lot of people seem to only do 1 session so most of my friends have left

Like you, I'm only proficient in English so England made a lot of sense for me. I'm also living in central London which is just great, so I'm biased and say study in London.

There are other great schools in Europe, you'd just need to learn the language. And there was some adjustment, but I didn't find it to be too difficult.

Ranting a bit: There was a period where I was excited to go back to IU and what could be happening over the next few months with my business. Now, however, with how fast this is going I'm definitely going to miss London and all the people I've met. I look at it this way, of everyone I've met we're all going to be thousands of miles away again and may not see each other for a very long time, if ever. You're still in high school and as annoying as it may be and no matter how antsy you might be to graduate, savor every moment because it'll be over before you know it (I'm halfway through college and my only response to that is "wtf where did the time go"). It's a part of the process (and like Gary Vee says: love the process). We won't get these moments back. Better to have the memories than wishing it to be over and then regretting you didn't do enough.

Ultimately, I lean towards college and if you can do your degree abroad that's even better. If you decide not to go to college then just travel.

I won't ever forget this view.