Summer study programs- a transitory exit to new world

Prior to summer study programs, summer was never so much fun. Merely a thought of being greeted by people from some hospitable clan, located in some far-flung village at the countryside, creates flutter in the tummy.

Teenage students are thrilled to spend their summers traversing across an alien land, while enhancing their knowledge and tasting a scoop from other nation’s cultural heritage. That’s why summer study programs are now becoming a rage among high school students.

Summer study programs offer lots of choices that almost overwhelm students. Choice depends upon interest and preferences of the students. Based on duration, they can either opt between a week long trip or a 2 months long educational expedition. They may choose a program that offers an insight of the country to be visited or a culmination program that gives both education and adventure simultaneously.

The monetary factor also plays a major role in making the final decision. Both parents and students should perform a thorough groundwork. Always seek professional advice and guidance from school authorities. Be cautious while paying for the program. Clearly enlist what all facilities are included in the cost.

Summer study programs vary significantly both in terms of nature and money. It may cost from frugal few hundred dollars to hefty thousands.

Take a quick look at the policies and procedures of the company. Summer study programs should commence with a formal orientation. Each student much be allocated a host family, after proper research. Going to another nation may also require students to learn the local dialect. Seek guidance from previous participants in the summer study programs. Talk about their experiences and understanding of the course.

Summer study programs help students to sneak a look into the diverse culture of another country. This enhances his/her multifaceted development. Summer study programs are those mirrors that reflect the vivid colors of life in another nation and embrace participants in the spectacular once-in-a-lifetime experience. Within this short-span students see various dimensions of life; they make new friends, visit new schools, live with a new family. Summer study programs is just like a dream come true, where students take a closer look at life and learn to live independently.

So, don’t waste your summers sitting home. There is lot more veiled overseas, waiting to be unleashed by you. So consult some professional study abroad company and pack your bags for your next summer study program abroad.

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Foreign exchange students- study beyond the classrooms

When we talk of globalization, education too becomes a part of it. Students leave their homeland and relocate to another country to either pursue higher education in a foreign university or as a part of student exchange plan of an existing course. Foreign exchange students have become most simplified reality of today.

According to an old adage “half knowledge is dangerous”. And there are scores of us who have lot of misconceptions and fallacies about foreign exchange students program.

Lets us look at it from a routine life standpoint. Many of you would have come across overseas students attending classes in your college/university. These are exchange students who stay in another country to complete a full-fledged 3-4 year degree course.

In this context the stay period is not always longer. Perhaps another major chunk of foreign exchange students or sophomores, come to another country for the final semesters of their curriculum. These exchange student programs are actually a student exchange, where you too can ponder upon the prospects of going abroad to complete your education.

Today, where the whole world is shrinking to a global village, what else can better explain this fact than foreign exchange students? These are in general “mutual exchanges” where almost any student enjoys the bright prospects to go abroad and study at least for a year.

As the latest trend, not only college going sophomores, but adolescent school students too is becoming a part of foreign exchange programs. With the ever-widening horizons of education studying abroad has become an inseparable part of customary education. Knowledge and wisdom has transcended the barriers of time and boundaries, and students have broken the leashes of rigid classroom lectures and have gone overboard as foreign exchange students for multifaceted growth and development.

However, a major concern of foreign exchange students is allocating an ideal host family. Selecting a host family has its own set of procedures. It is a very crucial task as student has to stay with the host family for the duration of his course in the university. Once after coherent confirmation and requisite formalities host family is allocated.

Many of the students over the time develop an eternal bond with the host family and learn a lot about country cultural heritage and traditions. Thus, being a foreign exchange student is a win-win situation from all perspectives of life, where a student becomes wealthy at both academic and cultural planes.

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Foreign student exchange programs- an all-gain opportunity

A foreign student exchange program beckons all students to explore new avenues of education and success. From adventure lovers to studious bookworms none is left uninfluenced by the appeal of foreign student exchange programs. Now when the geographical boundaries are fading and the whole world is espousing the concept of “global family”, foreign student exchange programs are beefing-up the universal brotherhood.

Foreign student exchange programs are enriching as well as an inspiring experience that inculcate respect for other’s cultures and beliefs. Students really live and feel the culture of an altogether new nation, and this voyage fills their heart with sense of delight.

Foreign student exchange programs are not merely a thrilling opportunity, but an asset that ensures a bright future. Foreign student exchanges, apart from giving an opportunity to live and learn in another nation offer a pool of specialized knowledge. Foreign student exchange programs stress more on the practical front of life rather that making students mug-up the bookish concepts. Needless to say, this encourages the all-round development of the student and strengthens his/her global communication skills.

Besides offering educational opportunities foreign student exchanges develop the overall personality of the student. Each individual is benefited enormously according to his/her mental ability and perspectives. It makes students grow both intellectually and individually.

Individual growth is instrumental to fetch the approaching employment opportunities. A student grows personally, enhance confidence, gain leadership competencies and boost up their cross-cultural communication ability. Foreign student exchanges make students conversant and help them learn new things in a new environment. This helps them grow both on personal and intellectual front which guarantee a flourishing future ahead.

Studying abroad via foreign student exchange program is undoubtedly an enriching experience and enables him to view the world from a universal perspective.

The Global Student Comes of Age

International study is an important part of equipping yourself to handle a career in an increasingly globally interdependent world. The number of students studying abroad has been growing every year. This is inevitable as the world becomes smaller and it is easier to get from one place to another.

The study abroad experience is no longer restricted to the typical “junior year abroad”. Not only are students considering full-time options but also looking at specialised programs, distance education or summer study programs that they can enrol at in a university abroad. Many people even go back to study while midway in their careers. New destinations have also opened up and it has become par for the course to consider study options in places like Asia and South America. Students are increasingly going to study in non-traditional destinations, and increasingly to non English-speaking countries.

For example, students pick countries like China and India for the educational experience as well as the cultural expansion that such countries offer. They are able to learn new languages and skills that would otherwise not be available to them. The world is truly getting flatter as Thomas Friedman has noted in his renowned book, and international study is a key component of this flattening.

Governments are also extending more encouragement and support to international students than ever before. In the US, for example, the Fulbright US Student Program, the Gilman Scholarships for undergraduates with financial need, and new National Security Language Initiative programs focused on language learning are just some of the well-known scholarships available.

According to the Open Doors report on international educational exchange 2006, the 20 most popular destinations for study abroad are United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Australia, Mexico, Germany, China, Ireland, Costa Rica, Japan, Austria, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Greece, Chile, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, and India. Of these, only five are primarily English-speaking, and most are located outside Western Europe. The Open Doors report is published by the Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States. While the report is reflective only of American students, it can be taken to be broadly indicative of the trend in other countries as well.

Open Doors 2006 data also reveals that the largest growth area is short-term study. This means that a majority of US students are electing summer study programs or other programs last for less than a semester. Summer study programs offer increased flexibility for those who are not able to make the kind of time commitment that a full time course would require.

The range of reasons why a particular international student might chose one destination country over another for study is quite wide and includes the perceived quality and reputation of the country’s education provision, its accessibility, affordability and the employability of the qualification obtained.

Countries are taking a keen interest in this area as a one of booming growth. Regular education fairs, national marketing strategies, easier immigration policies, an increase in programs in English and regional education hubs are some of the ways in which they are trying to lure the new generation of international students. These young people, for whom borders are meant to be crossed and ‘global citizen’ is more than a buzzword, are defining a new educational ethos across the world.