China

According to the annual Open Doors report, China ranks in at fifth as the most popular study abroad destination for American students. If your school offers a program to China, take advantage of the opportunity! You’ll be able to learn first-hand about China’s rapidly growing economy, history, and culture. Not to mention more than 885,000,000 people speak Mandarin Chinese – knowing this language will be incredibly marketable after you graduate. Fun fact: Despite its size, all of China is in one time zone.

Costa Rica

The diversity and beauty of Costa Rica provides students with numerous opportunities for learning and adventure. Those looking to perfect their Spanish-speaking skills will have access to top-notch language programs. The ecological diversity of Costa Rica’s landscape is sure to attract outdoors enthusiasts who will have the chance to explore rain forests, mountains, and volcanoes. In San Jose, the city’s capital, you’ll find tons of museums, theaters, restaurants, and many more unique cultural activities. Fun fact: In Costa Rica, the sun rises and sets at around the same time 365 days a year.

Japan

The most technologically advanced country in the world, Japan is a great place to study for any student interested in its language and culture. Its reputation as the leader in scientific and technological research makes it especially attractive for those studying science, technology, finance, economics, or industrial design. Equally important as its modern marvels, Japan’s rich history and heritage provide you the opportunity to learn about beautiful art and architecture; monuments, traditional houses, and temples are few of many historic must sees. Fun fact: More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains and hills.

South Africa

Home to 11 official languages, South Africa offers a truly diverse experience – from mountainous landscapes to subtropical climates, deserts, and exciting cities, this country has it all. Whether you choose to travel to the bustling city of Johannesburg or the waterfront city of Cape Town, you have opportunities to immerse yourself in cultural activities and interact with local students. Students also curious about the country’s complex political history will gain a first-hand understanding. Fun fact: The flight from New York to Johannesburg is 15 hours and 20 minutes non-stop.

Photo: foxnews.com

The number of students who choose to study abroad increases every year, and why wouldn’t it? An excuse to see the world. A chance to fit in some traveling before you buckle down and get a job. An opportunity to gain experience in your field. The reasons are endless! Check out these top five countries students in the United States go to study abroad!

United Kingdom

Going to the United Kingdom is the most popular place students go when studying abroad. For one, it’s an English speaking country so there’s no need to learn another language. With America’s culture rooted in England, it’s familiar enough for it to be comfortable, but different enough that you’re still gaining an experience out of it! You may also take pleasure in finding out about America’s history through the eyes of the United Kingdom, which can give you a whole different perspective on how the United States was born!

Italy

As the second most popular place for students to study abroad, Italy is often a place of interest for world history lovers! The Roman Empire and the Renaissance are just two of the many historical events that can be studied in Italy’s architecture, literature, art, and museums. Italy is also popular for those who want to pursue politics, as many take an interest to its northern and southern divide.

Spain

Students who plan to major in Spanish, or teach Spanish, find a semester studying abroad in Spain crucial to their careers. But that’s not the only reason college students have made this the third most popular country to study abroad. Having taken Spanish in high school, many students find that they already know much of the language, and don’t need too much help communicating. Studying abroad in Spain also allows for you to travel to other nearby countries as well, including France, Portugal, and many islands.

France

Like Spain, many students who took French in high school find themselves already prepared when it comes to communicating. For those who may not speak French well, students can take comfort in knowing that 35% of those in France are English speakers! History students interested in the French revolution and business majors are among those who most often study abroad in France. Oh, and who wouldn’t want to go to Paris?

China

China is the fifth most popular country for students to study abroad, and it offers students the chance to learn more about its language and culture–a major interest for many individuals! Students who choose to go to China are often inspired by the dense population and bright lights of city life! Math, business, and philosophy majors are some of the most popular degree programs studied in China. Unlike many of the European countries, China has very few English speakers, so this is the place for those who want the experience of completely immersing themselves in another culture!

Struggling with your decision? Check out more info on how to choose where to study abroad.

Where do you want to go? As you consider where to study abroad, consider where you’re interested in going as opposed to what someone says is the “best” place to go, especially if you’ll be there the whole semester. This might be as simple as going to a country you’ve always wanted to visit, but are afraid you won’t get the chance once you’ve graduated and have a job and family. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

What culture are you interested in? When choosing where you want to study abroad, consider the different cultures in which you’ll be experiencing. What cultures interest you? What cultures would you like to immerse yourself in? Besides having this culture surround you for an extended period of time, you’ll also be learning and writing about this culture for class, so pick one you find intriguing!

What do you want out of this experience? When choosing where you want to study abroad, you may want to consider why you’re studying abroad in the first place. Is this your chance to see the world? Is this the best move for your career? Do you want to become knowledgeable of a particular region? Knowing why you’re interested in studying abroad will help you to determine where.

What language do you want to use?  Do you want to go to a country where most people will understand English, or do you want to have to learn another country’s language? Is studying abroad your chance to become fluent in another language? Consider what language you’re comfortable speaking as well as what countries speak that language, and at what level.

What makes sense for your career? If you’re studying abroad with the hopes of catching an employer’s attention, you may want to pick a place that makes the most sense for your career. If the company you’re dying to work for needs people who know Chinese and does a lot of business with China, going there through a study abroad program may be your smartest move. What study abroad programs would be the most useful and respected in your field?

Where do you want to see how your major is taught? Many students who study abroad feel as if they have a better concept of and a greater knowledge for their field of study having learned it through other countries in addition to the United States. Different nations will view and teach subject matters in ways you haven’t seen before. Where do you want to see your material taught?

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Scrapbook

When you’re out with your new friends at a new, scenic restaurant, ask someone to take a picture of everyone. As you enter the dark theater in which you’ll view your first foreign film, place your ticket stub somewhere safe. When you and some classmates hike to the top of a mountain overlooking foggy forests, pick up a fallen leaf from the trail and place it in your pocket. These little tokens can create a scrapbook full of your best memories.

Journal

Keep a personal journal on your trip to reflect on the world around you and how you fit into that world. Before the plane ride there, write about your expectations. What do you plan to get out of this trip? What are you most looking forward to? What is your biggest fear while studying abroad? All throughout your experience, continue writing about your adventures, the things you learn, and the people you meet. Don’t forget to read it from cover to cover when you get back, and over and over again after.

Blog

With a blog, you can write about your experiences for yourself as well as others to read. Upload pictures and videos to your blog. Include quotes. Describe the places you visit in detail. Your family and friends can’t be there with you, so do your best to illustrate to them what your life is like abroad. They’ll also appreciate getting all this information as it happens as opposed to when you get home. And if you set your blog for public viewing, you could be helping other students who are thinking about studying abroad!

Instagram

If writing about your experiences isn’t your thing, a picture is worth a thousand words. Take lots of pictures on your trip and upload them to Instagram, or another photo-sharing site for your friends to see.

Twitter

Your friends can stay updated on your travels on their way to class, during lunch, and on the weekends by reading your frequently composed Twitter updates on your experiences. Use Twitter to post your thoughts on a class, what you’ll be doing that evening, and on the new, authentic foods you’re trying! Twitter’s “in-the-moment” speed can seem more personal than a blog you post every night, or the pictures you share when you get home.

Video

Even a 30-second video recorded with your phone can be one of the most powerful tools of all when it comes to remembering an experience. Storing memories on your phone can let you remember your summer abroad practically anywhere!

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Most college students have an unforgettable time studying in other countries, whether it be with a group for a few weeks, or on an individual basis for a whole semester. You want your trip to be unforgettable for the right reasons. To ensure that you have the best experience abroad possible, check out these tips on how to protect yourself and your belongings.

Knowledge is Power

Before you leave for another nation, find out as much as you can about the country, the culture, the currency, and the area in which you’ll be staying. What’s going on in that country right now? What are the social norms? How safe is your neighborhood? What sort of precautions must you take? The learning doesn’t end once you’re abroad: What expressions are used? What areas should you avoid? If you wish to travel to an additional country while there, what do you need to cross the borders? Having a good grasp on your surroundings will make you appear less like a tourist and keep you out of trouble.

Know the Law

In addition to familiarizing yourself with this new country’s culture and social norms, it may also be a good idea to be aware of the law. What’s allowed in the USA may not be allowed in other places, and visa-versa. Getting arrested in another country can be a sticky and complicated situation. And by sticky and complicated we mean awful. Do not get arrested.

Have an Emergency Contact

While you likely have tons of paperwork to fill out for your trip abroad, take extra time on the emergency contact paperwork. Be sure that the information you’re putting down is not only accurate, but the best it can be. Don’t put down your dad’s cell phone as an emergency contact number if you know he leaves it in the car half of the time, and tends not to check voicemails.

Copy your Documentation

Before leaving abroad, make photocopies of your passport and driver’s license, and place them in a pocket of your suitcase. If your wallet or purse gets stolen, you want to have backup paperwork. It is more common than you’d think when student travelers’ wind up passport-less in a foreign country following a pickpocket.

Separate Your Money

As pick-pocketing is the most common crime experienced by those studying abroad, you’ll want to take extra precautions with where you keep your money as well as how much you carry. Don’t carry a lot, and keep what you have in separate places. You’ll want to ensure that if someone pulls a wad of cash out of one pocket, that you still have another wad in your shoe, and a credit card back in your room.

Be Aware of Your Appearance

Depending on where you’re headed this summer or Fall semester, you may want to consider the way you dress and the jewelry you wear. You don’t want to attract attention to yourself, offend people, or have the necklace you received at your high school graduation generate interest.

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Today’s question:

An increasing number of U.S. students are taking a semester to study abroad.

How important, or unimportant, is leaving campus to live among a different culture for a student’s education?

Leave your answer in the comments below or tweet at @Cappex to chime in (we’ll post your answer below).

Academics:
Remember high school? You spent days polishing your application essays and nights worrying about a rejection letter from the university of your dreams. You’re at that university now, paying a small fortune for the small class sizes, award-winning professors and diverse, gifted classmates that you dreamed about two or three years ago. And now you’re trying to leave?You have probably already started taking those advantages for granted. Unless you’re considering a semester at Oxford, you might be unpleasantly surprised at the academics at your host school. There’s a reason foreigners come to America’s universities – they really are the best in the world.

Classes:
As budgets are cut, so are class schedules. Unless you’re in the biggest major on campus, there are classes that are offered very infrequently – classes that you’ll miss out on. It might be the seminar on women in journalism or on South American popular revolutions. Ever since the spring of my first year, I had been yearning to take a class on natural language processing (don’t ask – it’s really nerdy). I would have missed out on the chance to take that course if I had gone abroad. The kicker is that your junior year is when you start having enough priority to register for the classes that filled up when you were a freshman or a sophomore.

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