Students going abroad can choose between studying abroad for a single term (a semester, quarter, or summer program), or a full academic year. Because of obligations on their home campus, many students choose go abroad for a single term. However, for those who can take a full academic year abroad, the benefits can be tremendous.

Studying Abroad for a Single Term

Studying abroad for a single term is an ideal option for many students. It allows them to improve their foreign language skills, experience a new culture, travel to new places, and enjoy all the other benefits of study abroad. At the same time, they generally find that a single term abroad does not disrupt their academic schedule. A single term may be right for you for various reasons:

Your budget allows you a single term abroad.
Homesickness while abroad concerns you.
Your academic requirements or extra-curricular activities allow you to only take a single term away from your home campus.

If you go abroad for a single term, be sure to make the most of it. Be proactive about making friends, taking opportunities for travel, learning the language, and immersing yourself into the culture. Before you leave the US, prepare a list of what you want to accomplish and experience, and refer to this list while you are abroad.

Studying Abroad for an Academic Year

An academic year program consists of a fall and spring semester. If you have the desire to spend an academic year abroad, and your schedule allows it, you will find that the experience is much richer. By spending a full year abroad, you will open yourself to a host of new opportunities:

Make friends with native students, join clubs, and see an insider’s view of the culture that few have the opportunity to enjoy.
Become fluent in your host country’s language.
Experience all the local holidays, festivals, and customs. A year of cultural immersion will ensure your expertise of your host city and country.
Travel to new places. All of our program schools offer numerous package trips for students at low prices.

An interesting option for a year abroad is to spend each semester in a different location. Spending, for example, a fall semester in Italy and a spring semester in Spain allows you to come home speaking both Italian and Spanish, and being intimately familiar with two new areas of the world. For the adventurous, this is an infinitely rewarding option.