College is a time to explore new things and find your trueinterests, and perhaps nothing illustrates this better than theopportunities offered through study-abroad programs.These programs afford students the opportunity to study in aforeign country for a month, a semester or even a year, giving thema chance take courses given from a perspective they would never getat home, while also allowing the opportunity to explore anotherculture.

Just the prospect of living in a foreign country for an extendedperiod of time is enough to convince many students to study abroad,as it’s something you may never again have the ability to do duringyour professional life. While it’s likely that you’ll treasure yourexperience wherever you decide to go, it’s also important to take afew things into consideration before choosing a program.

Language

If you’re learning a foreign language, it makes a lot of senseto choose a location that will allow you to use that language on aday-to-day basis. If you’re studying French, a Paris studyabroad experience will teach you more about the language thanany class ever could.

Even if you haven’t had a lot of training in a specificlanguage, studying abroad in a country that speaks a languageyou’ve been dying to learn can provide an effective crash course inthe language. Most study abroad programs are built to accommodateyour level of experience with a foreign language.

Internships

Completing an internship while studying in a foreign country isnot only a great way to fulfill requirements and get the most outof your education dollar, but a fantastic item to be able to put ona resume. When prospective employers see that you have real worldexperience in a foreign country, it’s a testament to your abilityto think on your feet and adapt to new surroundings.

Before you decide on a program, meet with an adviser at yourstudy abroad office to go over all the internship options thatdifferent programs offer. For example, American IntercontinentalUniversity offers a multitude of internship opportunities as partof its program for students who studyabroad in London.

As with internship programs at home, these can be verycompetitive, so it’s best to start the conversation early and tryto line one up before you get to your location.

Location

All things considered, studying abroad is still a great way tosee the world, so if you’ve been dying to visit a certain location,don’t be afraid to factor that into your decisions. Many programsoffer students the opportunity to travel during weekends or breaks,so you may want to choose a program that’s close to other locationsyou would like to visit, as well.

Information in this article was provided by AmericanIntercontinental University. Contact AIU today if you’re interestedin developing marketable knowledge and career-relevant skills withan industry-current degree program. (AIU cannot guaranteeemployment or salary.)