Aleen Kaltakdjian, biochemistry senior, had a stellar experience while studying abroad through Hidden Treasures of Europe. She visited six different countries through the month-long program. Kaltakdjian said applying for the well-organized trip was a breeze.
“[The Academic Programs Abroad staff] told us exactly what they wanted, when they wanted it,” Kaltakdjian said, referring to the piles of paperwork would-be travellers must turn in.
The short-term program fee of $4,500 didn’t include tuition for the classes she’d credit for, insurance or airfare. Students were provided one meal in each country, but the rest of the meals and miscellaneous expenses fell to the students. Kaltakdjian’s parents were able to cover the costs, but this is not the case for many students. While Kaltakdjian’s summer classes took place in a beautiful garden behind an Austrian palace, students who lacked sufficient funds were left sitting in ancient desks under florescent lights, getting an earful of lecture.
The APA offers short-term, one-semester and one-year programs. The summer short-term programs taught by LSU faculty are considered to be more costly than the longer terms because the short-term programs are fast-paced with non-stop traveling and hotel expenses. Airfare is not included in the program fee so students with parents who have frequent flier miles can use them, or students interested in additional travel before or after the program can find the most affordable route.
Harald Leder, director of APA, said each program maintains its own budget. So programs in the United Kingdom, one of the most popular destinations, are generally more costly than programs in Italy.
“The goal is to keep the fee as low as humanly possible for students,” Leder said.
Usually, the scholarships a student receives on campus are also available abroad. There are also national funding opportunities such as the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which offers up to $6,000 to cover study abroad expenses.
Leder said about 75 percent of the students who study abroad choose the summer program.
However, he said there are no major advantages to studying abroad versus on campus unless students are able to immerse in the culture. He said he believes the longer students can stay, the more they learn.
“Instead of talking about history, I try to take them where history actually happened,” Leder said. “That is something you cannot replicate at LSU.”
Students who choose to study for a full semester or longer become students of a host university abroad. Travelers can browse the three types of programs: bilateral, ISEP-Exchange and ISEP-Direct. Depending on the program, students pay tuition to LSU or to their host university and an application fee of $100 to $175, airfare and living expenses. Different destinations can be more or less expensive than the cost of living and food on LSU’s campus.
Aside from possible financial complications, students who choose to study abroad can face other unforeseen challenges. Sam Breaux, an anthropology and French junior, studied in Belgium for a semester thanks to a full scholarship he received. Breaux’s professor helped him make arrangements with two different families in France for four weeks prior to the program. After staying with the first family for one week, he transitioned to the second family, where he expected to stay for three weeks. On the fourth day, while he was touring the Louvre, Breaux received a text from his host sister informing him that her mother was giving him until the end of the day to leave their home and make arrangements elsewhere.
“I went to the bathroom and basically spent 20 minutes crying and trying to figure out what to do,” Breaux said.
After Breaux’s panic subsided, his day turned around when he boarded a train to stay with his host sister’s teacher until his first host family returned from out of town. The next day, Breaux gave a presentation to the teacher’s primary English class. Later, he was informed that the host mother’s reasoning for his dismissal was that he was untidy, disrespectful and distracting. Breaux and his first host family were dumbfounded by her claims. Despite the ordeal, he gained a passion for teaching language and a second family he still keeps in contact with today.
“I feel so overwhelmingly indebted to these people,” Breaux said. “They helped me so much. Not only in this hard situation, but reflecting back, helped me in my current life. They inspired me to do what I’m doing.”
Each experience abroad changes with student preferences and priorities. Some choose to travel, while others use an exchange to gain professional experience or make progress in their degree.
Different programs work hand in hand with different majors. Even if there isn’t a program available for a certain major, credits earned abroad will likely be transferred as general education courses. Students can check the courses offered at a host university, then use a database called Tiger Tables Software to see how some courses have been transferred in the past.
Leder recommends students think about studying abroad from day one at LSU. That way, each student has time to sort out every necessary credit and expense. Many students who first show interest have to drop out before they are financially obligated.
One of the misconceptions, he said, is the belief that studying abroad is a vacation. The GPA requirement is 3.0 for a bilateral exchange, 2.75 for other exchanges and 2.5 for the short-term program. The APA takes academics seriously, but there is also room for free time and fun.
“I wasn’t expecting the courses to be so incorporated with what we were seeing,” Kaltakdjian said. “It made me really pay attention to the culture. It wasn’t just, ‘Oh I’m going to Europe, see you later,’ you know? It was actually learning and getting to know the places that I was going.”
Leder said studying abroad is for everyone because it serves as a smart investment in a student’s future. Graduates with experience abroad may have a leg-up in an employer’s eyes when interviewing candidates. Of the entire LSU student body, Leder said only 10 percent have studied abroad. Studying abroad still has the potential to contribute to a competitive resume.
“Whenever you’re in Europe, or wherever you study abroad, take advantage of the time you have over there because those are the kind of memories that stick with you for your life,” Kaltakdjian said.
Passport Privileged
By Raina LaCaze
February 17, 2014
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