Not much English is spoken at this end of MIA, and it is pretty cool. I have a few hours of downtime, so I think I should take this opportunity to get you all up to speed, explain to you folks just how I got to be here in the first place. I don’t have internet just now, so I will post this as soon as I get to the hotel in Madrid.
Over this past winter break, I took home between twenty and thirty study abroad program catalogues and flyers. The study abroad office coordinates a study abroad fair each semester, in which CSU and CSU affiliated study abroad programs set up kiosks for prospective students to come and get information about each program. Anyway, at home in Denver during my vacation, I sat down with the catalogues and my computer, and slowly went through each potential program. For me, my two biggest selection factors were language and cost. I knew I wanted to go somewhere that I could learn Spanish, and I also knew that I would need to find the least expensive program I could find. When choosing a program, consider the language, your budget, how much you’d like to travel, what kind of classes you’d like to take, and what kind of living arrangement you’re looking for. I chose Academic Programs International in Granada, Spain because I can learn Spanish, travel over my break (I’ve never been to Europe before), take some cool Islamic history classes, and live with a host family, all at a fairly manageable price. To those of you who think study abroad is out of your reach, I say don’t knock it off the table until you have looked at all of your options. Do some research into potential scholarships and loans, and various program-by-country costs. As a low-income student who has worked through school thus far, I can safely reassure you that if you want it enough and are willing to jump through some hoops and make the right sacrifices, you can go abroad.
Many alumni I’ve met have reported that their semester abroad was less expensive than going to CSU and living in the dorms on campus. While I haven’t found that to be the case for me, I am happy to say that grants, scholarships, a summer job and savings have covered the costs of my tuition and a pricey plane ticket. But of course, this is to say nothing of how to pay to live and travel while in Europe (not to mention catch a plane home). Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out as I go, so I’ll let you know how that turns out.
Acceptance Letter From My Spanish University - Needed For Visa App!
To my fellow procrastinators: I’d like to give you a well-meant warning. While I felt that I began the application process early, beginning of spring semester (I am going to Spain for the following fall and spring), the time crunch became quite an ordeal. Especially for those of you who require a visa for your host country and are going for over 180 days; I wish someone had conveyed to me just how extensive this process is. For Spain, I had to get a medical certificate, a stamped and sealed police record, and an Apostille (a special certification for the police record). The Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles (whose jurisdiction includes Colorado) require that you apply in person, and only with a scheduled appointment, unless your program offers visa application services, for which you must have all your paperwork together very early. If you are told you need an FBI background check and Apostille of Hague, begin the process right away. It took the FBI CJIS division 9 weeks to process my background check (aka police record) and initially sent it back to me without the appropriate stamp and seal, which you need to get the Apostille from the U.S. Department of State, that normally takes another 5 weeks (unless you have it expedited by a private company). Not that I don’t love expensive, whirlwind trips to Los Angeles, or fretting for months on end about whether I would have my visa and passport back in time to leave for Granada, but if I could do it over again, I would’ve begun applying for my police record in March.
So, as soon as you decide you want to study abroad, apply for you passport if you don’t already have one, and find out what the entrance requirements for your country and duration of stay will be. If your visa application requires a police record and an Apostille of Hague, get your fingerprints done and fill out an application for your background check immediately. Use a private company to expedite the Apostille of Hague (I recommend Perry International). Make sure you use tracked, certified mail, because the FBI won’t tell you if they received your application until two or three weeks after you send it to them.
Other important things you will need to do before leaving include; applying for your program of choice (my professor who agreed to give me a recommendation didn’t get it done for almost three months, and because of that I put off beginning my visa application!), get the classes you’d like to take approved for transfer by an advisor, attend pre-departure orientation, fill out your FAFSA as you would any other year, and register to go abroad with your school. Applying for scholarships and loans is another important thing to get done before you leave. For fall and academic year programs, I found that most scholarship applications are due mid-May, so don’t plan to begin your scholarship search over the summer! In most cases, purchasing a plane ticket needs to be done before applying for your visa, not to mention it is always much cheaper to book months in advance.
Other than applying for my visa, I think my biggest mistake has been avoiding studying my Spanish all summer, and it is inevitably going to bite me in the bud. I was working full time and taking classes, which seemed like a pretty good excuse to be lazy at the time… but now I regret not having set aside just thirty minutes a day to re-learn rusty vocabulary and grammar. I’m sure most of you are better students than I am, but just in case, let me recommend that you find out what your placement exam is going to require of you, and begin reviewing. Instead of cramming verb conjugations during your flight, ahem, like some of us. Utilize your study abroad office, get your paperwork done early, and stay on top of things!
