Oh The Places You Will Go...

We’ve all been pushed into applying for a Study Abroad. Likewise, we’ve all made excuses on why we couldn’t do it:

“I don’t have time”

“It’s too expensive”

 “I’ve never been out of the country before”

 If you have a sincere desire to see the world, these reasons should be the last thing on your mind.

 Here at KSU, you have greater access to cheap and safe travel then you will ever have again in your lifetime. Every person that goes on a study abroad is eligible to receive numerous scholarships, some of which are guaranteed! If your job now gives you a hard time asking a few weeks off, your career after college will likely be that much more difficult.

We’ve all heard the reasons not to go on a study abroad.  Let’s take a look at just a few of the reasons TO GO:

 Enhance Your Global Awareness: You can enhance your awareness of the world around you by studying abroad. To be an educated citizen today requires students to able to see the world through others' eyes and to understand the international dimensions of the problems we confront as a nation skills that are enhanced by an education abroad experience.

Enhance Your Academic Learning: You can help enhance your academic learning by studying abroad. A study abroad experience will introduce you to new professors who can expose you to new viewpoints beyond your campus, and a diverse student body that can introduce you to different customs and cultures. A study abroad experience also lets you expand your academic learning outside of the classroom, because you live what you are learning.

Develop Your Leadership Skills: You can strengthen your leadership skills by studying abroad. An educational opportunity outside the United States can be among the most valuable tools for preparing a student to participate and lead effectively in an increasingly interconnected international community that demands cross-cultural skills and knowledge.

Advance Your Career: You can help advance your career by studying abroad. In today's increasingly global society, obtaining international skills and knowledge can make you more marketable in getting a job and more productive once you're in the job.

Experience Personal Growth: You can experience significant personal growth by studying abroad. Students who study abroad discover that in the process of learning about other countries and culture they end up learning more about themselves in ways that simply cannot be replicated in the comforting and familiar confines of an American campus.

Learn Another Language: Students can better learn another language by studying abroad. Immersion in another language through study abroad is one of the best ways to gain proficiency in that language.

Ok, so let’s say this convinced you and you’re ready to go take on the world! Where do you go? Luckily, KSU offers a great search engine that can cater to your exact situation. First, go to https://kennesaw.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.AdvancedSearch. It should look something like this:

Or you could simple ask to list all of them. If none of them look interesting, there are also options of designing your own through an exchange program. These can last anywhere from 2 weeks to a year! Pick any that look interesting and you can see more detail:

Once you’ve found a program that you like, select apply now. It will ask you to login with your KSU NetID and Password. After login, you will have to select apply again. Unless there are special criteria, you should have your acceptance letter very soon if not immediately.

However, you aren’t done yet. Going to your program page you’ll notice several steps with blank boxes (mine are checked):

The most important one for all of these is the $300 deposit. You will be removed from the registration if you have not submitted this by the registration due date. The rest of them are all very straightforward. Most simply require acknowledgement that you have read it. Once you have completed this step, the Education Abroad office will contact you on when to have your at-home orientation. They will explain everything you need for passports, visas, and packing as well as the classes themselves. Don’t forget that February is the deadline for all applications!

Good luck and have fun!