Can’t Spend a Year? Consider Summer Programs Abroad
Spending a year or two at a college or university in a foreign country is an invaluable experience, but suppose you don’t have the time or resources to go away for that long? Or perhaps you are a younger person who is hesitant to leave home for that period of time, or you’re not completely certain if such an experience is for you.
In this case, you might consider the shorter-term proposition offered through summer programs abroad. A brief eight-to-twelve weeks at a foreign university will give you a chance to get your feet wet and decide whether or not a longer term stay is something you would wish to commit to.
Short-term summer programs abroad are ideal for high-school teens who would like to get just a taste of what it would be like to attend school in a European or Asian university. And parents, take note: these summer programs abroad are well supervised, so you won’t be kept awake at nights worrying whether or not your teen-aged son or daughter is getting into trouble thousands of miles from home.
Of course, short summer programs abroad are also much less expensive and require a much smaller investment than a full year or two. In the meantime, there is an incredible amount of learning that can be packed into those two or three months spent overseas, particularly when it comes to learning a foreign language. The best and time-tested way to learn a second or third language is immersion; those who acquire languages in the manner usually find themselves speaking it fluently within a few months without even realizing it.
Finally, even if a high school student does not plan to attend college or university overseas, summer programs abroad are an excellent addition to any college or university application. Students should look into these opportunities during their junior year and plan to spend a summer overseas during the summer before their senior year.
