{"id":148,"date":"2025-03-24T14:30:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T18:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/studyabroad\/?p=148"},"modified":"2025-03-24T14:40:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T18:40:32","slug":"the-road-to-study-abroad-a-students-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/studyabroad\/2025\/03\/24\/the-road-to-study-abroad-a-students-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"The Road to Study Abroad: A Student\u2019s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m Audrey, a senior studying Political Science who stumbled upon an opportunity to spend my last semester at BSU in China and decided to seize it. This blog post will be the first of many describing my lessons learned, mistakes made, and tips to share during m<\/span><\/i>y studies in the beautiful city of Chengdu\u2014so come along and join me for the ride!<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Fall 2024, Ball State\u2019s phenomenal Director of Study Abroad approached me with <\/span>the opportunity to study abroad for a semester in China. My initial reaction was uncertain\u2014even though I had been studying Chinese for years and telling people that China was my dream travel destination, I didn\u2019t really believe an experience like this would be possible for me. Fortunately, after talking it over with my family, friends, and the lovely folks in the Study Abroad office, I decided to take the plunge…five months later, I find myself in the Giant Panda capital of the world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I could spend the next four months telling you about the gorgeous <\/span>city that has already stolen my heart, sharing photos of Chengdu\u2019s vast public parks and delicious (but affordable) food stalls, and doing everything within my power to convince readers like you to <\/span>just come study abroad<\/span><\/i>. And believe me, I will get to all that. But given that I\u2019ve just arrived here a week ago and am still adjusting to life in another country myself, I figure this would be a good time to talk to those s<\/span>tudents who are cautiously curious about study abroad and paint a picture of what the pre-departure process might look like. If you are like I was a little over five months ago\u2014interested in the opportunities for growth and exploration that a study abroad program provides but nervous at the prospect of stepping into a world of unknowns\u2014this blog post is for you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Picking a Program & Applying<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Study abroad programs have to check a lot of individual-specific boxes: they have to fit <\/span>your <\/span><\/i>price range, satisfy <\/span>your<\/span><\/i> curriculum needs, and get <\/span>you <\/span><\/i>excited to pack up and leave the country for a bit. However, I can guarantee you that searching for a program that checks these boxes for you gets a whole lot easier with the help of the Rinker Center. If you\u2019re unsure how to start the program search, you can learn about the program types with this <\/span>overview<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Alternatively, you can <\/span>search Ball State\u2019s offerings<\/a><\/span><\/strong> by location, term, length, and more. Give it a try and see for yourself!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Preparing to Live Abroad<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The level of assistance you receive pre-departure will va<\/span>ry greatly depending on the type of program you choose, but my biggest piece of advice is to use any and all resources you have. I chose a program through USAC, a study abroad provider that offers a great deal of guidance for students on just about everything you\u2019d need to know before studying abroad\u2014from visa application information to webinars on using the metro to get from the airport to <\/span>our host campus. However, not all programs have this support, and it will be on you to make sure you are well-prepared on the day you depart.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I could say it a million times, but I\u2019ll limit myself to once: the study abroad team is a critical<\/span> resource for pre-departure information. You will be required to meet with the study abroad folks a couple of times before you leave,\u00a0<\/span>but you can also schedule additional check-ins for further assistance (I even had the study abroad office help me book plane tickets). Additionally, here are some of the most fundamental things to know before you leave:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n