Abroad101 Student of the Week #0017 – Veronica Sniezek

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Abroad101 Student of the Week is going to London!

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Abroad101 Student of the Week – Veronica Sniezek

This week, our Abroad101 “Student of the Week” winner is Veronica Sniezek. Veronica is a junior at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and is majoring in theatre (theatrical design). She wants to go abroad to London, England to study theatre at what could be considered one of the best places for it in the world! This study abroad trip to London is such a great experience for Veronica because it will be a monumental first step to achieving her dream of becoming a costume designer in London.

The Abroad101 Student of the Week initiative awards a student who created a Mission for a study abroad program on GoEnnounce with a donation to their fundraiser. Learn more about this partnership from Abroad101 CEO Mark Shay and GoEnnounce co-founder Melissa Davis here.

We’re making weekly donations to #studyabroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals to make their travel dreams a reality. To find out more about Veronica’s study abroad program in London, visit here.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0017-veronica-sniezek/#sthash.1Plr3zT4.dpuf

Abroad101 Student of the Week #0016 – Ally Glickman

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studyabroad101.com Student of the Week is going to Thailand

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Abroad101.com Student of the Week – Ally Glickman

This weeks Abroad 101 Student of the Week is Ally Glickman currently a junior at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. She is a physiology/education major who was

accepted to the CIS study abroad program in Thailand. She wants to be able to use the experiences she gains while abroad to her teaching career in the future. Another awesome fact –  Ally wants to volunteer at a rescue shelter for elephants while in Thailand! Check out her Mission here!

The Abroad101 Student of the Week initiative awards a student who created a Mission for a study abroad program on GoEnnounce with a donation to their fundraiser. Learn more about this partnership from Abroad101 CEO Mark Shay and GoEnnounce co-founder Melissa Davis here.

We’re making weekly donations to #studyabroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals to make their travel dreams a reality. Visit here to help with this mission. To find out more about Ally’s study abroad program in Thailand, visit here.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0016-ally-glickman/#sthash.mPSdKXdM.dpuf

Worldwide Cities with the most Study Abroad Programs

From Aachen, Germany to Zhuhai, China and everywhere in between, opportunities to study abroad seem countless.  The good news is that Abroad101 has counted –  there are study abroad programs in 1,568 different cities worldwide.  This graphic shows the cities with the most programs.  Lots of programs means lots of choices, we welcome you to explore your options and read the “Thousands of Life Changing Stories” on Abroad101.

 

Graphic chart of most study abroad cities

Most number of study abroad programs per city

 

Study Abroad Student Tip: Easy way to practice your foreign language skills

image of chef holding a platterStudent Review Tip –

ABROAD101:

Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?

STUDENT (from Brandeis University on trip with IES Abroad):

Start by ordering food and asking for directions in German. Then, try to converse with your host family on a regular basis. Don’t be afraid to speak, even if you aren’t sure you are saying everything perfectly. Germans may or may not correct you if you are wrong, but they generally don’t care so much; they’ll get the gist of what you’re saying.

At Home in Berlin

Student reviews on Abroad101 cover many areas of the study abroad program. For more information on this student’s review of their trip to Berlin, Germany please read the full review at: http://www.studyabroad101.com/programs/ies-abroad-berlin-ies-abroad-in-berlin-summer/reviews/26073

Abroad101 Student of the Week #0015 – Ronald Hobbs

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image of Ronald Hobbs

Ronald Hobbs, Abroad101 Student of the Week

This weeks Abroad101 Student of the Week Honor is given to Ronald Hobbs who is a rising senior at Purdue University Calumet. Ronald is a history major who aspires to become a curator or a preservation technician. He will be in France for the entire fall semester and will be studying the French language, cultures, and history. This is Ronald’s first time out of the United States!

The Abroad101 Student of the Week initiative awards a student who created a Mission for a study abroad program on GoEnnounce with a donation to their fundraiser. Learn more about this partnership from Abroad101 CEO Mark Shay and GoEnnounce co-founder Melissa Davis here.

We’re making weekly donations to #studyabroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals to make their travel dreams a reality.  To find out more about Ronald’s study abroad program in France, visit here.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

 

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0015-ronald-hobbs/

 

Strategies For The Directionally Challenged

 

image of signpostBy guest author: Mark Melchior

Remember going to the grocery store with Mom as a kid? She wanted to get paper towels and lunch meat but the only reason you went was to try your hand at snagging the Reese’s Puffs. Then all of the sudden, everything changes. What was once a glorious, colorful, and enticing environment of snacking perfection became a carnival of madness the second you realized you’d strayed away from Mom. Traveling abroad can have a similar feeling of desperation. With time changes, jet lag, strange languages, and that guy that is way too persistent in selling you a botched painting, Abroad 101 understands how being a little ‘Directionally Challenged’ can affect both your experience and willingness to travel over seas.

Not to worry because we’ve decided to come up with a few tips to make getting lost on your adventures a little less stressful.

Travel Light

You’re moving temporarily, yes. Do you need that industrial strength hair drier? No. Traveling light will save you both time and energy when it comes to moving about the globe. Try to visualize your daily routine abroad and ask yourself, “What do I need now and what can I get when I’m there?” Generally I’d say that a French toothbrush works just as good as an American version. Essentially this tip makes our list because traveling light means traveling easy. No extra weight to lug about and no need to find space for all the bags.

Sometimes you can fit more things into smaller spaces. Youtube has plenty of packing techniques like the Bundle Fold or the Army Ranger T-Shirt Roll. You’ll be glad you packed well in the event you get truly stuck on your journey abroad.

#2 Write It Down

For this tip I call once more on a beloved childhood memory when Mom, Dad, & family go on a little trip. Somewhere along the way the car strays into the, “Oh no, I just realized I have no clue where anything and everything is and I’m lost,” zone.

This is the main ingredient in the Nobody Gets To Have Fun cocktail.

So let it be known simply as WRITE IT DOWN. Have an itinerary when you travel. Copies of boarding passes, payments, destinations will help. If you don’t speak Portuguese but have the address of your host family’s residence, in Portuguese, then I’m confident you’ll be able to find help easier. Also, do yourself a little favor and learn some key words like ‘left’ and ‘right.’ Maybe even know of some major landmarks in the area just in case it gets serious. Preparing beforehand will always help so do your research before you land in China. It’s like G.I. Joe always said, “Knowing is half the battle.”

#3 The Airport

This place will either make or break your ability to nap happily on the long flight to Australia. I’m talking about the Airport. These structures are notorious for their confusing nature; just ask my mother who was practically ready to build a fort in the Cincinnati airport after a debilitating change to the whole airline’s flight schedule.

I’m usually fine with any car travel but there’s something about flashing my ID every nine feet, belt-less, shoe less, and patience-less that makes me hate waddling through airport security. Once again clothed I make my way through to the different terminals while simultaneously dodging every bewildered individual with their head captivated by the majestic flight board. Not so majestic when you realize the gate number keeps changing. Or the terminal. Which one is which again? This is my point exactly.

Airports are meant to be both easy to navigate and over stimulated which causes you to forget which direction you’re moving. It’s like a Vegas casino that actually wants you to leave but there is no clear way out. For example, an airline once changed my flight’s terminal and gate number seven or eight times within 15 minutes at Chicago-O’Hare. Not only that, but how am I supposed to keep track of where the flight is when there is a perfectly good airport T.G.I. Fridays that needs my patronage? My solution? Twitter. The flight was changing so much that I decided that I would ask via tweet to the airline when I finished my meal. It worked famously!

If your itinerary, Twitter, and patience fail you, and you decided that you could just carry on the industrial strength hair drier, your last resort is to ask for help. This surprisingly is very difficult for some folks. Good news, in an airport even the janitor can help you. The staff are navigation experts, especially airport security, and even the various restaurant staff. Plus as a bonus, if you try and look desperate enough they might even take you right to the flight deck. I once had a kindly man whisk me away on a golf cart across Philadelphia International just because I looked lost.

These tips will not guarantee a hassle free travel experience but most certainly will help in a time of stress. The best thing you can do is embrace the spirit of going abroad and meet the stress of traveling with a good attitude…and maybe a few directions too.

– Mark Melchior

image of mark melchiorMark Melchior is a recent graduate of the Park school of Communications, Ithaca College. 

Connect with Mark through LinkedIn. 

 

Top # of Direct Enroll and Exchange Student Reviews on Abroad101

chart of number of student reviews for direct enroll and exchange programs

Abroad101 Number of Student Reviews for Direct Enroll and Exchange Programs

Abroad101 contains reviews from students who study abroad with a variety of program types including those offered by third-party providers, faculty-led programs, internships and volunteer opportunities and direct enrollment & exchange.  These direct enrollment & exchange programs put students in foreign student housing, often with foreign student roommates; a full immersion in the foreign university campus.

These programs are not for everyone, but can be a great way to save money and go it on your own.  Based on the number of reviews of these programs, here are some of the more popular foreign host universities for study abroad with direct enrollment and exchange.  Search Abroad101 for these and nearly 1,500 other choices… http://www.studyabroad101.com

Why should I write a review?

By guest author: Samantha Shay

 
“I learned that I am able to adjust to just about any situation.”
“The trajectory of my entire life changed because I studied abroad. And I cannot imagine my life without it now.”
“I REGRET NOTHING.”
“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”
“I learned to be ‘tough,’ and I grew as a person in ways I can’t explain.”
-Excerpts from some recent Abroad101 student reviews
 

A recent New York Times article stated, “Globalization is here to stay, and students who want to work in our interconnected global world should study abroad…Making study abroad a part of their education is the most effAbroad101.com write a reviewective and accessible means for students to develop needed skills because it pushes a student to get out of her comfort zone to experience another culture, language, environment and education system.”[1]With a mission to promote global citizenship by fostering the most meaningful study abroad experiences for all students through technology innovation in international education, Abroad101 has collected the stories of over 22,000 students’ international pursuits through over 8,800 abroad programs.  Whether you studied abroad to explore your heritage, pursue an academic goal or field of study, or immerse yourself in a culture different than your own, we want to add your story to our collection.

 Allan E. Goodman and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, New York Times, May 12 2014.  http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/17/should-more-americans-study-abroad/every-student-should-study-abroad

Why should I write a review?

What better capstone to a life-changing experience abroad than to share your story and your advice with someone else?  Abroad101 is an abundant resource for students who are in the process of choosing an abroad program that will fit them well.  Your story could directly impact the program choice of a prospective traveler.  By submitting a review to Abroad101, you are contributing to a collective database of student stories that future abroad students can access easily.  How accessible was healthcare in your city?  Did you spend more money on food than you expected to?  How many hours a day did you speak a foreign language?  By answering these questions and others like them, you create a sketch of a prospective student’s program experience.  If while abroad you faced challenges you didn’t foresee, or elements of your program that didn’t work for you, sharing this feedback and advice for others to access is a generous way to reflect on those experiences.

By sharing a review with Abroad101, you are creating a sketch of abroad life not only for prospective students to consider, but for their families and peers to read as well.  Consider your review a tribute to protective parents everywhere.  At the recent “Women in Travel” Summit, Abroad101 received strong feedback that reviews are just as useful and enlightening to parents and teachers as they are to other students.[1]  The WITS attendees mentioned details about safety and quality of administration as top curiosities and concerns when students are choosing an abroad program.  By addressing these topics in your review, as well as answering questions that target many other aspects of your program experience, you can really illustrate what life was like for you during your semester abroad.

Your positive feedback, or constructive criticism, can benefit the future of your program.  Abroad101 offers administrators and program providers access to evaluation data collected directly from students, and they can access student reviews and feedback on our website just as easily as other students can.  Your words have the power to support a program you feel strongly about, or alternatively, to help initiate changes within a program to benefit future students’ experiences.  Additionally, since students submit reviews directly through our website and independently from the programs in which they participated, readers can trust that the reviews are as honest and unbiased as possible.

Most importantly, submitting a review of your semester abroad benefits you!  A 2010 market research study reported, “of the U.S. recruiters and HR professional surveyed, 75% report that their companies have formal policies in place that require hiring personnel to research applicants online.”[2]  According to Idealist Careers, “employees are looking for positive things: discovering how well you communicate…getting a sense of how professionally you present yourself…”[3]  Whether you plan to pursue graduate school, a job or internship, or another abroad program, having published a well constructed, thoughtful review on Abroad101 will give you an edge with employers, grad schools, and other potential post grad opportunities – show your reflective writing skills, showcasing your experience abroad, and reflecting on how your experience changed your outlook on the world.

 [1] http://www.travelgogirl.com/witsummit/
[2] http://www.job-hunt.org/guides/DPD_Online-Reputation-Research_overview.pdf via http://idealistcareers.org/employers-are-googling-you-now-what/
[3] http://idealistcareers.org/employers-are-googling-you-now-what/
[1] Allan E. Goodman and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, New York Times, May 12 2014.  http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/17/should-more-americans-study-abroad/every-student-should-study-abroad

 

image of Samantha ShaySamantha Shay is a Patron Services Assistant at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and studied abroad in France.  Please read her study abroad review.

Connect with Samantha through LinkedIn. 

Abroad101 Student of the Week #0014 – Alexis Peppin

Image of Alexis Peppin, Abroad101 Student of the Week

Abroad101.com Student of the Week – Alexis Peppin

This weeks Abroad 101 student is Alexis Peppin, a senior at Cedar Shoals High School who is determined to participate in a foreign exchange program in Germany! Along with German (which she has taken 3 years of already), her favorite subjects are literature, art and band. With future plans to teach English in Germany, we think this foreign exchange program is perfect for her! She is working hard, having two jobs as well as fundraising on GoEnnounce, to make her dream a reality. Check out her Mission here!

The Abroad101 Student of the Week initiative awards a student who created a Mission for a study abroad program on GoEnnounce with a donation to their fundraiser. Learn more about this partnership from Abroad101 CEO Mark Shay and GoEnnounce co-founder Melissa Davis here.

We’re making weekly donations to #studyabroad fundraisers! We hope you can help us assist these students in reaching their goals to make their travel dreams a reality. Visit here to help with this mission. To find out more about Alexis’ study abroad program in Germany, visit here.

Stay tuned for our next Abroad101 Student of the Week!

 – See more at: https://www.goennounce.com/missions/view/id/1752/

 

– See more at: http://blog.goennounce.com/abroad101-student-of-the-week-0014-alexis-peppin/#sthash.nlFge7V9.dpuf