Conclusion for the 14-week Program on Study Abroad

Welcome back! This is the last post of the 14-week long study for various ways that a student can make his or her own way to enjoy an overseas studying experience. Like what I mentioned at the very beginning, the reason why I chose this topic is that I was actually making the same study plan for myself. For a slow-thinker and a slow-learner like me, it's fascinating to have such a chance to look up for comprehensive information and plan every single details through the whole semester. The flowchart below elaborate how the whole process was about.

 

    From the flowchart above, we can clearly see that under the assumption of  "I want to study and travel at the same time", I chose two possible options to achieve the goal. One is apply for overseas universities or colleges and the other is apply for non-credit-granting programs that provide overseas experiences. After that I spent several weeks doing research about the top universities in English speaking countries based on the "QS World University Rankings 2013", and the research has yielded up some surprising results which is two schools that I've never considered before. However, after comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the two top universities in downtown London, the tuition fee and living costs are fantastically expensive that I can only gave up the plan and look for alternatives.

    Luckily, I did found a better way to send myself and people like me abroad via a economic way, which is the exchange programs for three reasons: First of all, the cost is way lower. In most cases, students only have to pay their own school's fee and nothing else. Secondly, exchange programs provide credits transfer that is crucial for a student's graduation. Last but not least, exchange programs provide just exactly the same experience as studying abroad. Students live and study on the campus, enjoy being the member of the school for that period of time...etc. These are what a summer / winter camp and volunteering cannot offer.

    In sum, if you're also planing a overseas study or travel plan and don't know where to start, hopefully the information I collected and organized here might help you to make the right choice. Good luck!