Trying to find an ideal study abroad programcan be overwhelming for anyone. There are so many things to consider, such aswhich country you want to study in, where you want to live while you are there,whether it is in a city or smaller town, and what personal goals you want tomeet while abroad. Most of us can agree that studying abroad is a formative andenriching experience, whether you are a high school student or a retiree, butactually finding a program that suits your individual needs can be challenging.
As a college student, I decided Iwanted to go abroad to improve my fluency in the Italian, which I've beentaking for a few years, but haven't noticed a big improvement in mycomprehension. My college has very limited options for study abroad programs,and none of them seemed to fit my interests or goals. I asked a few of myfriends, who go to different colleges, about their study abroad experiences,and one of them responded that he found a website called Activa Languages thathad done the research for him already. He told me about this amazing program hefound on the website, which combined improving his fluency in Spanish and scubadiving. He lived with his professor, so he was totally immersed in the languageand got the opportunity to go scuba diving a few times a week! When he gotback, he was completely fluent.
I looked at as soon as I could. I couldn't believe thediversity of the programs. Even colleges that have great study abroad optionshave no where near the amount of programs on the website. Plus, ActivaLanguages only offers programs at accredited institutions, so you don't have toworry about the quality of your experience. Their prices are the same as theywould be if you signed up yourself, but they offer personalized advice too.When I called to sign up for a program in Tuscany, they answered all myquestions, and made me really look forward to going abroad, instead of feelinganxious or nervous about the process. I'm so excited about my study abroadprogram!
