Buenos Días and Guten Tag!
Coming up on the final
month of this semester, I have finally decided what I will be doing this
summer, and it is something that I have dreamed about for many, many years:
STUDY
ABROAD!
The Spanish Flag The Austrian Flag
First,
I will join 25 other UF students in Seville,
Spain for six weeks of “Intensive Spanish Language and Culture”, as the
program flyer says. This is a UF study abroad program so everything is
pre-planned for us, including housing, meals, and excursions. After that, I
will be in Vienna, Austria for four
weeks, participating in an “Intensive German Language Course” at the University
of Vienna. This, unlike the program in Seville, is something that I found
myself and am embarking on alone, and although my housing is secured, I will
have to take care of my own meals and extracurricular activities.
https://www.bergbook.com/images/16990-01.jpg
Let’s
go!
Deciding
to Study Abroad
I’ve
wanted to study in Spain since middle school, which was when I began studying
Spanish seriously. Secondary schools (high schools) in the Czech Republic
frequently have study abroad semesters in Spain, and I wanted to experience
that, as well. I am getting a Spanish minor here at UF, and the “UF in Seville”
program will give me the final six credits I need to complete it. Furthermore,
I will get to live with a local family, which will let me truly experience
Seville’s culture first-hand. All-in-all, getting on board with “UF in Seville”
was a pretty easy decision to make.
So if you’re trying to figure out whether to study
abroad, here’s a few tips:
1.
Think About What You Want to Learn—the classes don’t
necessarily need to fit your major or minor (I’m not studying German at UF),
but they should truly interest you.
Take this time to learn something you’ve always wanted to learn. Of course, if
the classes do fit your major or
minor, that’s always a plus.
3.
Individual or Group Programs—my two selections show
opposite ends of the spectrum. For Seville, I am traveling with a large group
under a program that took care of my housing, food, excursions, and academics.
This gives me security and peace of mind. For Vienna, I am traveling alone, and
no study abroad provider is helping me with anything; I am in charge of
arranging my housing (done!), food, and everything else. This gives me an
incredible amount of freedom, because I will be able to do exactly what
interests me. Figure out how much support and freedom you need, and go from
there. The great thing is that even if you find a program completely on your
own, you can still arrange to get credit for it through UF.
Money
Matters
Aaaaaaaand here we go. Financial stuff. I honestly
believe the reason that most students don’t study abroad is because they think
it is too expensive. And to be fair, it can be extremely pricy. However, where
there’s a will, there’s a way, and if I can do it, so can you. Here’s some
tips:
1.
Study Abroad during the Fall or Spring Semesters—I
obviously don’t take my own advice…but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!
Studying abroad during a semester instead of during the summer is better on the
finances, because all of your financial aid counts towards your study abroad
program. The only reason I’m not doing that is because I have no more semesters
to spare—I’ll be a senior next year! (Extra
Tip: Don’t study abroad during your senior year, especially if you’ll be
applying to Graduate School or Law School or any other post-grad school. You
need peace and quiet to do that, and you don’t want to ruin your study abroad
experience by sitting at a computer all day filling out applications.)
2. Pick a Program that Includes Meals—you
have no idea how much food will cost in your host country, so play it safe and
pick a program that includes food in its fee. This will also save you time,
because you won’t have to go to the store every day. I’m so excited that my
host family will be feeding me three times a day! (The best way to get to know
a country is through its food, right?)
3.
Apply for EVERY. SINGLE. SCHOLARSHIP.—I did. It makes sense.
You increase your chances of getting a scholarship with each additional one you
apply for. I think I applied for about ten. I certainly annoyed all of my
professors with each “could you please
write another recommendation for me” email. But it’s absolutely worth it.
Also, beware—some scholarships don’t come through until after your program starts, so you may have to pay the entire fee
before getting reimbursed. Sigh.
Things
I Hope to Do
And
now the fun part! Here’s five things I hope to do or see in Seville and Vienna:
Seville
1.
Tour the Alcázar of Seville: A royal palace said to
be the most beautiful in Spain.
2.
Spend time in Maria Luisa Park, a public park with lakes,
monuments and statues.
3. See the Seville Cathedral, the
third largest church in the world.
4. Tour (and climb to the top of) the
Metropol Parasol, a wooden work of modern art.
5. Explore the countryside around
Seville.
https://www.tripsite.com/site/assets/files/1206/ronda-flickrtoprural.900x0.jpeg
Vienna
1. Tour the major palaces of Schönbrunn, Hofburg, and Belvedere. (I love history!) Also, I spend
afternoons just strolling around the palace gardens or reading on the benches.
2. Go to Tiergarten Schönbrunn, the “Vienna Zoo”, which opened in 1752 and is
therefore the oldest zoo in the world.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Kaiserliches_Pavillon_Schoenbrunn_August_2006.jpg
3. Eat at the Hotel Sacher Vienna,
where they have been making the “most
famous cake in the world” since 1832. Again…the best way to get to know a country is through
its food!
4. Visit the Mozarthaus, where Mozart lived from 1784 to
1787, and go to an orchestra performance.
5. Walk around the Naschmarkt flea market, where you can
find great deals on authentic Austrian products, as well as local foods and
flowers.
http://www.austria.info/media/17083/thumbnails/naschmarkt--wien-tourismus--d.jpg.2469073.jpg
*BONUS ROUND*
While in Austria, I also want to
take one or two weekends and go to Salzburg, which is only about two hours away
from Vienna by train. Not only does it seem like one of the most beautiful
places in the world, but it was also the filming location of one of my favorite
films…The Sound of Music! This year marks 50 years since the film was released,
and I really want to take the “Sound of Music Tour”, which is extremely popular
in Salzburg.
http://www.visit-salzburg.net/graphics/summer-2/salzburg.jpg
Overall,
I hope that if you do decide to study abroad, that you will take advantage of
everything that your host country—even your host continent—has to offer. Don’t
be afraid to explore. I’m certainly extremely excited, and although I’ve never
done anything like this before, I’m not letting my nervousness get in the way
of having the best possible summer I can have.
So
here’s to exploring, learning, and making memories
Bon Voyage!
Veronica
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