# University/Career in a foreign country?



## DeductiveReasoner (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm a US citizen, on the brink of beginning college, and eventually starting my career. Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to travel, not just to relax and sightsee, but to experience other cultures, and meet new people.

Recently, I had the idea that perhaps I could finish my bachelor's degree here in the United States, and go on to grad school somewhere else (preferably the EU, but I'm open to anything), and perhaps even working abroad.

My question is, how feasible is this? Do you have any better ideas? Will it be extremely expensive?

Any other thoughts or opinions are welcome.


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## AJ2011 (Jun 2, 2011)

There are a lot of international programs available with awesome scholarships for undergraduates. You could apply and try out a summer program and see how it feels. Many universities even offer joint programs. So, you could go to Oxford/Cambridge for 2 years to complete your graduation. Many people spend the summer between sophomore and junior year in a summer abroad program. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't know how much funding is available for going abroad.

I went to the UK, however it would have been pretty cool if I went somewhere like Paris in a university like Sorbonne. I know there are a lot of US expatriates in the EU. There are a lot of meetups, where if you spend a summer, you could find out how it feels to work there.


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## DeductiveReasoner (Feb 25, 2011)

AJ2011 said:


> There are a lot of international programs available with awesome scholarships for undergraduates. You could apply and try out a summer program and see how it feels. Many universities even offer joint programs. So, you could go to Oxford/Cambridge for 2 years to complete your graduation. Many people spend the summer between sophomore and junior year in a summer abroad program. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't know how much funding is available for going abroad.
> 
> I went to the UK, however it would have been pretty cool if I went somewhere like Paris in a university like Sorbonne. I know there are a lot of US expatriates in the EU. There are a lot of meetups, where if you spend a summer, you could find out how it feels to work there.


Interesting. Where might I find these scholarships? And I know the UK does, but do any other countries' universities in the EU accept US financial aid?


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## AJ2011 (Jun 2, 2011)

Most schools have an international studies program. If your school does not have a strong international studies program, then there may be a school not too far away from you that has a strong program. It's best to familiarize yourself with them because (1) they might be evaluating your scholarship applications, (2) they will provide university-specific information on obtaining the scholarships, and (3) they know every scholarship available and may even help you with your application. I would not wait till the last minute and apply for funding (many students do that and they receive little to none, which I said it is unfortunate).

There are clearly some highly competitive, highly visible study abroad scholarships available, i.e., Rhodes, Fulbright, Gates, Marshall, etc.. Of course, some of these are geared to UK, however there are country-specific (university-specific within the country) scholarships. It helps to identify where you are interested in going and what specific subjects you are interested in. EU schools tend to very structured, so they expect that you have already chosen your major. Some lesser known but useful ones depending on your major/interests: Gilman scholarship, Boren scholarship, CLS Program, etc..

Sometimes specific majors are advantaged in international programs to promote diversity, and to promote technical exchange between the countries. So, if you're flexible you could identify a major you would enjoy but has a better chance of getting support for a study abroad program. For example, science majors are underrepresented. However, there is no need to shoehorn yourself, especially if you're passionate about your subject. At the same time, some of these programs ask you to get out of your element, so feel free to study flamenco dancing in Spain as a science major.


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## Benja (Jan 26, 2012)

If this is a major thing for you then you should definitely do a study abroad program as soon as possible, if you stay in the US for undergrad. This will help you determine how much you enjoy it with limited investment and if you should make it part of your studies/career/future. I know a bunch of people who have done study abroad, so it must not be too expensive, especially if you stay in state. 

Also, many people get funding for grad school through TA and research programs and don't pay much at all.


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