Getting Ready

SO WHERE TO BEGIN?

There are the Practicalities of Study Abroad (e.g. travel, getting around, vaccinations, traveling with prescriptions meds, security, etc.). Then there is the Cultural Dimension of Study Abroad, which is more subtle. It's all too easy for those of us who are North Americans to assume that, just as US English is the lingua franca of the business world, ours is the cultural lingua franca, that our "normal" is globally normative, but it's not.

As you consider studying or interning internationally, plan and prepare yourself. To get the most out of this experience, you need to invest in the processes of preparation and re-entry. Here's some general recommended reading:

• 11 Must-Have Resources for Travel Program Participants
• Preparing for Study Abroad: 9 Things You Need to Know 
• Your Last Week Before Study Abroad To-Do List

For the Practicalities of Study Abroad:

Find out as much as you can about where you're going:

• U.S. State Department page on travel: follow the link for Your Destination to find out information on your country
• For country-specific student handbooks, go to StudentsAbroad.com. Select your country from the drop-down and click GO. Incredibly useful information available here.

For info on being a student abroad, from documents and packing lists to finances:

• U.S. State Department page for STUDENTS ABROAD: for a variety of how to and necessary info.
• Check out the packing guide for students abroad
• Check out these 5 tips for being an ethical traveler

VISAS—Do you need one or not for your semester abroad? That is the question. For information on entry requirements for a specific country, please go to the Entry/Exit Requirements section in the Country-Specific Information for the country you are interested in. We also encourage you to check the Consulate website for the country to which you're going, as visa requirements are changing rapidly.

To request a visa letter from the Global Education Office, fill out the form below.

For the Cultural Dimension of Study Abroad:

Culture Crossing Guide is a good place to start. It provides very basic info and no interpretation; while it may not help you with cultural understanding, it will help with navigational basics of the place to which you’re going. Under the GET TO KNOW YOUR WORLD option on the right, select your country from the pull-down menu and find some helpful preliminary information.

The IESABROAD website provides useful descriptions and definitions of the different study abroad stages through the use of their re-entry worm. This resource is helpful for identifying where you are in the process.

MONEY, SECURITY & MORE

MONEY

• Oanda Currency Converter
• Universal Currency Converter
• MasterCard ATM Locator
• Visa ATM Locator

SECURITY

For news alerts and country-specific information, go to the Overseas Security Advisory Council site.