I'm a US citizen and have been looking into attending university abroad. In Scotland, Ireland, or Budapest, preferably.
The problem is the expense. I know sometimes if you're lucky you can get a small scholarship, but what other options are there. I'm looking for advice from someone who's done this before. I've been looking into the University of Edinburgh. I believe I can still get financial aid from the FAFSA at U of E, but that won't cover it. How hard/is it possible to get loans, how difficult are the visas, what is the general process like--I just want to hear the story of someone who's successfully (or even not so successfully) tried this.
Gah. I'm about to have a mental breakdown. It feels like I'll never be able to do anything because I don't have money. Stuck here in menial drudgery, doled out just enough money to scrape miserably by on. ls;dkfhl;ghf;gld.
I have to get out. Even if it eventually involves a padded cell and straight jacket.
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Going to university in another country - NOT study abroad
KnottyNikki
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Tortuga_traveller
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Ok.
I did a program at the University of Salamanca for 8 months, and It was not study abroad.
I just raided my savings, and I do have a warning. If you get a scholarship and loans, which may be possible, you'll need money for living expenses, and Scotland is not a cheap country to live in.
It was not even easy arranging payments for the school, because of the laws now put in place for bank transfers overseas.
Good luck, and you're smart to ask about this in other places. I didn't, and errors were made. The primary error I made came in the form of student visas.
In the EU, all student visas must be granted BEFORE you enter as a tourist. Its difficult to go there as a tourist and convert it over, and it must be applied for in your home country.
I found this out the hard way, though the embassy in Turkey told me I probably could convert it in Spain. The police/immigration person in Spain was very clear that I could not.
In order to get a student visa, you need to have a health certificate, purchase health insurance, often from the school or country you go to, and proof of registration. For precise details, see the embassy student visa requirements.. They are quite specific.
I did a program at the University of Salamanca for 8 months, and It was not study abroad.
I just raided my savings, and I do have a warning. If you get a scholarship and loans, which may be possible, you'll need money for living expenses, and Scotland is not a cheap country to live in.
It was not even easy arranging payments for the school, because of the laws now put in place for bank transfers overseas.
Good luck, and you're smart to ask about this in other places. I didn't, and errors were made. The primary error I made came in the form of student visas.
In the EU, all student visas must be granted BEFORE you enter as a tourist. Its difficult to go there as a tourist and convert it over, and it must be applied for in your home country.
I found this out the hard way, though the embassy in Turkey told me I probably could convert it in Spain. The police/immigration person in Spain was very clear that I could not.
In order to get a student visa, you need to have a health certificate, purchase health insurance, often from the school or country you go to, and proof of registration. For precise details, see the embassy student visa requirements.. They are quite specific.
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Wild Jasmyne
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If you absolutley have to go to a Western country, you are going to pay more, there is usually no way around this.
I am going to tell you about another option. I was due to start school at the University of Ghana (Africa) last January but got in a motorcycle accident just before. I am now planning on doing my Master's Degree there starting August 2011. The great thing about the school is that it is very very good, has a lot of programs, and you can directly enroll via the application downloaded on their website. A lot of Western based companies use this University and charge about $10000 US per semester for a "study abroad" experience. However, you can completely get around all of these ridiculous fees and directly enroll.
The total for one semester is around $3500 US including dorms!
It's almost too good to be true. So when I was in Togo in April, I ran over to Accra to check it out on an overnight trip. Sure enough, completely legit English speaking University, on par with many in the US. They offer a myriad of courses and several you will not find anywhere else (African Dance, tons of UN and NGO specific courses, etc.). And yes it was around $3500 a month. Living there would be very cheap as well. They have a free shuttle service to the center of town in Accra and it's a cheap place to get beer, food, and is a really awesome place to be.
I am super excited to start there next year, I will be doing the 1 year Master's program in International Affairs (although I thought about Public Health for a while). I would highly suggest checking it out. As far as I could find, it was one of the few universities in Africa that offered a good course selection, real professors, and a very decent price. There was one other called Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in the Kakamega Rain Forest in Kenya. It is much much smaller scale and sort of a "village" university. They not only have normal curriculums in Buisness, Education, English, etc. but also offer important ones for locals in Sugar Refining and even offered degrees in Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance. Similar price range. I would way prefer to be in Ghana over Kenya though.
That's just an idea. Both have websites if you google them, they are not as sophisticated websites as like.. Harvard, but pretty good nonetheless. Africa is not that scary, could provide a really eye opening educational experience and what a story to bring home! Good luck.
I am going to tell you about another option. I was due to start school at the University of Ghana (Africa) last January but got in a motorcycle accident just before. I am now planning on doing my Master's Degree there starting August 2011. The great thing about the school is that it is very very good, has a lot of programs, and you can directly enroll via the application downloaded on their website. A lot of Western based companies use this University and charge about $10000 US per semester for a "study abroad" experience. However, you can completely get around all of these ridiculous fees and directly enroll.
The total for one semester is around $3500 US including dorms!
It's almost too good to be true. So when I was in Togo in April, I ran over to Accra to check it out on an overnight trip. Sure enough, completely legit English speaking University, on par with many in the US. They offer a myriad of courses and several you will not find anywhere else (African Dance, tons of UN and NGO specific courses, etc.). And yes it was around $3500 a month. Living there would be very cheap as well. They have a free shuttle service to the center of town in Accra and it's a cheap place to get beer, food, and is a really awesome place to be.
I am super excited to start there next year, I will be doing the 1 year Master's program in International Affairs (although I thought about Public Health for a while). I would highly suggest checking it out. As far as I could find, it was one of the few universities in Africa that offered a good course selection, real professors, and a very decent price. There was one other called Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in the Kakamega Rain Forest in Kenya. It is much much smaller scale and sort of a "village" university. They not only have normal curriculums in Buisness, Education, English, etc. but also offer important ones for locals in Sugar Refining and even offered degrees in Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance. Similar price range. I would way prefer to be in Ghana over Kenya though.
That's just an idea. Both have websites if you google them, they are not as sophisticated websites as like.. Harvard, but pretty good nonetheless. Africa is not that scary, could provide a really eye opening educational experience and what a story to bring home! Good luck.
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