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You're nearing graduation and are considering graduate study abroad. Smart move. In your search for the best graduate school, study abroad offers rare opportunities. Maybe you're into literature and want to be where the genre was born. Maybe you're an aspiring artist or performer seeking an ancient muse. Maybe you want to get ahead of the next big, global thing and plan to cultivate contacts in their native language. Whatever your interests, nothing can replace going to the heart of the matter. Nothing. No tutors or mentors can give you what an extended stay in situ can. But there are many caveats and considerations. Will it transfer? Coordination of the overseas element with the graduate school academic plan at home is a must. Unless you plan to complete your advanced degree abroad, you're going to have to bring the credits and experiences home and match them to faculty expectations. Get clearances, approval, and assurances before you go! Where possible, work with graduate school study abroad programs sanctioned (and possibly operated) by your school. Might I die there? Don't forget health considerations when considering graduate school abroad program locations. One young prodigy from a desert area pursued his dream to a cold, damp locale, got pneumonia, and died. End of sermon. And then there's the security thing. If bombs are going off routinely at your desired destination, are the bad guys blowing up colleges? Transportation? Foreigners? And might you become a target? Ask yourself, "How brave am I?" and "What is this worth to me?" Can I afford it? The better question might be, "Can I not afford it?" If you want to rise to the top of your field, overseas study for graduate school will be a great boost. You can find a student loan for study abroad just as you can for study at home. Does it fit me? Nothing stings like blowing thousands of dollars on an aborted study abroad experience that you can't stomach and bail out of, especially when you feared that very possibility before you started. Gather all the data. Get feedback from friends, family, and former participants. Know before you go. Get a positive gut sense that studying a particular thing in a particular school is right for you.
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Graduate Study Abroad
