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September 15, 2011
Letters from Abroad: The ProcessI originally took French in high school simply because I didn’t want to sit through two years of Spanish like everyone else. I wanted to try something new and different, even if it wasn’t very practical to know French when I lived in a predominantly white, rural town in the midwest. However, that small decision I made in high school sparked several other- much larger- choices that I would make in the future. Fast forward a few years, and I now have a French minor and am getting ready to study in France for an entire year, in just a matter of days. Right now, I have everything in order and just need to pack my bags and leave, but I’m here to tell you, it was quite the process to get where I’m at now. Here are some steps that go into planning your trip abroad- be it a semester, year, or just a summer. 1. Decide what you really want. First of all, where do you want to go and for how long? Do you have enough money to go for that whole year, or would a few weeks during the summer be more suitable? Do you want to live in a small town or large city? Do you want to do an actual exchange trip, study abroad with a UNL professor, or go through a program? You also have to keep in mind that some programs teach the classes only in English while others have courses in the country’s native language. You will have a plethora of options, so the more you have figured out before you start looking, the easier it will be to sort through everything. Going to the informational meetings at International Affairs and the Study Abroad Fair at the Union is a good place to start. 2. Get accepted. This one is a given- fill out those applications and get your acceptance letter, or you aren’t going anywhere. 3. Have your classes pre-approved. If you are taking classes abroad, it is likely that you are going to want the credits to count toward your major. Be aware that not all classes transfer smoothly. Talk to your advisor and get your class credits approved ahead of time, so you know what to take once you are abroad. 4. Get your financial aid figured out. If you’ve ever had to deal with UNL’s financial aid offices, you already know that it can take a while for everything to be ironed out. You will need to get a financial aid sheet signed by your international affairs advisor and then sent to the financial aid office to be processed. It’s also a good idea to ask any existing scholarship committees if they will still support your schooling abroad and to apply for new scholarships. There are several awards that you can get through UNL that are specifically for students studying abroad. 5. Make sure your passport is good and get a visa. If you don’t have a passport already or if yours is about to expire, get a new one. You can do that at the NCard office in the Union. As far as the visa process goes, make sure you talk to your program coordinator and check out the visa website for your country before you apply for one. Each country will have different requirements for obtaining one. In order to get my French visa, I had to appear in person at the Consulate in Chicago. This sort of thing clearly takes some planning, so start getting your visa about eight weeks prior to leaving. 6. Pack appropriately. I am studying abroad for almost twelve months and am allowed to take one checked bag and one carry on. Once again: plan. Know what the weather will be like, take only the essentials, and leave behind things like hair dryers and other stuff that won’t fit into foreign outlets. (Get an adapter for the things you do need to bring, like a cell phone charger). These are just a few of the major steps you will have to go through before you go abroad. The process may seem daunting at first, but your advisors will help you through it and explain everything that needs done. Plus, in the end, you will know it’s worth it when you're finally sitting on that plane.
Averi is a junior studying journalism and mass communications with a minor in French. You may contact her at averi_melcher@hotmail.com.
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