A First Generation's Experience in Trying to Study Abroad
As I tick off the days in my Thurgood Marshall Planner I can't help but feel nervous. Did I bring enough clothes? Do I have enough toiletries? Who can I talk to about these things? As a first generation student, my parents were not the people I could turn to, in this situation. None of them had ever studied abroad. I am the first person in my family to ever be born in the United States, I didn't know whom to turn to. So I am hoping that my future blog posts will inspire any future students who aren't sure about studying abroad because they're scared or cannot afford it.
The first thing to do:
1) DO YOU HOMEWORK
- Both Theoretically and Philosophically. Get good grades, build a professional relationship with your professors for letters of recommendation. Then think about where you want to go. The Global Seminars are great because the units are transferable.
2) Budget and think about how realistic it is for you to study abroad. Sure, you want to study for a whole year but if you can't afford it or do not have the resources start preparing yourself. You might not be able to do a full year, but a semester might work instead.
3) Be open and honest with yourself. Do you really think you could be away from UCSD for a long time? Maybe a yearlong program might be too much too handle. For me, I wanted to study in the summer because I love being at UCSD during the school year and didn't want to miss anything.
4) MAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH THE STUDY ABROAD OFFICE , okay so this is something that I wish I did. I tried making appointments with the SA office but the financial aid person was sick so I never got to meet her. But, Tonia has been really helpful with helping all of us in the program get what we need done.
AND that's all I have for now.
The first thing to do:
1) DO YOU HOMEWORK
- Both Theoretically and Philosophically. Get good grades, build a professional relationship with your professors for letters of recommendation. Then think about where you want to go. The Global Seminars are great because the units are transferable.
2) Budget and think about how realistic it is for you to study abroad. Sure, you want to study for a whole year but if you can't afford it or do not have the resources start preparing yourself. You might not be able to do a full year, but a semester might work instead.
3) Be open and honest with yourself. Do you really think you could be away from UCSD for a long time? Maybe a yearlong program might be too much too handle. For me, I wanted to study in the summer because I love being at UCSD during the school year and didn't want to miss anything.
4) MAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH THE STUDY ABROAD OFFICE , okay so this is something that I wish I did. I tried making appointments with the SA office but the financial aid person was sick so I never got to meet her. But, Tonia has been really helpful with helping all of us in the program get what we need done.
AND that's all I have for now.
Very Nice Julia :) This will be very helpful for students!
ReplyDeleteIt was really an amazing blog, acquired great knowledge from this looking forward for more blogs like this. Even we have some education related blog that will help for better future Studying Abroad
ReplyDeleteOverseas Education is an investment in your future. The skills and perspectives you gain are invaluable in today's globalized world.
ReplyDelete