Before I start writing about my study abroad experiences, let me introduce myself quickly. My name is Florentina Lang and I am an international student at SBCC coming from Vienna, Austria. I am majoring in International Business and Global Studies and I am nineteen years old. In my free time, I enjoy doing sports, going to the beach, going to the movies, and hanging out with my friends.
Studying abroad at a college is not as easy as living at home and studying there. When I decided to go to SBCC for an associate’s degree, I chose not to be part of an organizational program as I already knew exactly where I wanted to go after completing an exchange year in Santa Barbara during high school.
I learned most of what I needed to do when I went to Santa Barbara High School for a year and was prepared and willing to do additional research needed to complete all the steps and documentations for the trip. It's a lot of work and if you are planning on going abroad, I would recommend you go through your school's program. Many institutions like SBCC have organized programs where housing is already arranged for you, courses and excursions are already outlined, but at the same time, you have enough free time to explore on your own. Unless you are very independent and ok with figuring things out on your own, including the language, a program with a school is the best way to go.
When I had first decided to go on an exchange year during high school, I went with a study abroad organization. If you go on an organized study abroad program the institution will usually assist you with applications and paperwork, some requirements, and more. At first, it may seem like a lot of work, but it is worth it!
If you decide to study abroad, you first have to know where you want to go. For me, the choice was obvious as I went to Santa Barbara, California during high school, but if you are a little adventurous, you may choose a country that you have never visited before, don’t know the language at all, or never even heard of!
Taking into consideration that I mainly wanted to improve my English, my options were limited. There is England, Australia or New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, and of course the United States to name a few. Many people decide on their study abroad destination based on their language preferences. For example, if you want to learn Italian, you would naturally choose to study in Italy, or learn Spanish in Spain or South America.
My best tip is to start by listing 3-5 of your favorite countries and conduct some detailed research about the culture, language, weather, geographic and demographics details, and then choose the one, that best fits your preferences.
In order to know my preferences, I made a list of things that are important to me. For instance, I wanted to go to a safe place, with good weather, and where English is spoken. To be honest, I did not research too much because I wanted to see for myself.
There are some great resources to research destinations, which include:
Since I am definitely a warm-weather person and cannot stand the cold, I short handedly decided to go to California when deciding on were to do my exchange year. In addition, I wanted to live near the beach and have sunny days all year round, so Santa Barbara was the perfect choice for me. If you grew up in Santa Barbara and want to see something else, it might be great to go to a country that has a completely different landscape and climate. Maybe a metropolitan city like London in England if you want to go to a an English speaking country, or maybe Vienna, in Austria, where I am from. I can only recommend it and if you go to the SBCC Study Abroad Instagram handle @studyabroadsbcc, you can see a lot of the photos I took when I went home this summer since I am the Social Media Intern for the programs!
Furthermore, if you already have your mind set on a specific major, you may want to select the study abroad program that offers classes relevant to your major. Not all universities offer all majors, and not all programs offer all classes. The nice thing about SBCC Study Abroad programs is that if you have not chosen a major yet, or you just want to take some additional transferable units, none of the programs have a major requirement.
Go on a program with you friend! But if, for instance, you are a communications major, SBCC often offer a program with communications classes, like the summer program in Japan. Choosing a program in terms of its offered classes is definitely a smart idea so that you don’t fall behind with your college education. Think about your long-term transfer goal. If you want to transfer to a UC or CSU, most SBCC courses offered on the Study Abroad programs can help you fulfill IGETC requirements.
There may be other things to consider when you want to study abroad, like if one of your friends wants to join you and you'll decide on a program together, or maybe a professor who's classes you really enjoy is leading a short program that works well with your academic plan and or summer or winter break plans.
But for me, the destination and academic major, as well as the weather were the biggest deciding factors. California has a lot to offer and from Santa Barbara, I knew I could explore so much within short driving distances.
Want to learn more about my study abroad adventures in the US? Follow me on my Instagram.
You can also follow all the SBCC Study abroad students in Japan, Germany, France, or soon our students going to Spain, Italy, Bolivia, and Bali on Instagram @studyabroadsbcc or check out the photo albums on Facebook! Still not sure where to study abroad? TAKE THE QUIZ and find out!
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