Competitiveness of study abroad programs?

[Skataforeva]

Hey LD, so I am applying to some study abroad programs for this summer along with my boyfriend. Are these programs hard to get into? Or not really? I mean, the applications are a ton of hoops to jump through, so I am worried... I am applying to 2 programs, but I am starting to get scared that I won't get in or my boyfriend won't... In your experience, are these programs competitive?

[doodoocat]

I think it depends on your school, how many spots they have available, if they have a sister university in the country you want to go to, and in general which country you want to go to... Other than that, I think it might not be very hard to get in other than getting your deposits in on time and completing all the paperwork.

[Shark Bacon]

All of the ones I've seen weren't very competitive, just expensive.

[piparminttukaramelli]

Not when I did it.

The application process, at least in my experience, was complicated largely because a lot of it was financial stuff - trying to figure out how scholarships applied, setting up direct bank drafts, making sure the tuition paid to the foreign uni (yes, schools abroad can have tuition, it's not just the US) was accounted for in the home uni, that sort of thing.

I think the requirements to get in, however, were easy - something like a certain number of hours studying the language of the target nation and a 3.something GPA.

Check out if your school has any well-established ties with certain programs or certain countries. For instance, our Engineering school had a particular college in Belgium that we worked with very closely so that I'm pretty sure they sent students there every spring. They were guaranteed a spot. And for my program, a study abroad was required for graduation, so we were guaranteed a spot in any Chinese or Spanish-speaking nation that the study abroad program had spots in.

Anyway, you might be able to find more help in the International forum. People talk about this stuff all the time over there.

[Sakura Latte]

Depends on what kind of study programs they are. One type of study programs that my university does, UCEAP, requires a certain minimum GPA in order to study abroad in another country (usually above a 2.5). Many of the quarter abroad program at my university are also first-come first-serve, and they tend to fill up fast, so if you're the kind of person who procrastinates on getting your app and study abroad deposit turned in till the very last minute, you're not going to get a spot because it'll all be filled by those who did it before you.