International Students; Welcome To The Global Village, USA

 College is often experienced as another planet for typical students. This site has been dedicated to presenting college life as the alternate reality it is for most students. Somewhat like visiting a foreign culture without ever leaving your home country. But. Many students do leave their home country and culture to learn in and learn more about the USA.

With summer nearly here travel is on many many students' minds. Planet College has regularly posted information for USA students traveling abroad since 2007. Some of those entries can be seen here.

Planet College understands that student travel works both ways. Many international students travel to the USA to study, both for Summer and the Regular Term. On the website operated here by the Institute for International Education  for who are curious about studying in the USA a student from Trinidad is quoted as saying, "College in the USA is like a global village."

This statement sums up the experience of many, many, students both international and native USA. College and college life is a global experience.

Planet College, this website, continues to offer ideas, tips, insights and help to all students, local and global who pursue the opportunies to learn, earn and grow in the uniquely stimulating culture that is Planet College.

Studying Abroad? Get your Gillman On.

Planet College has endorsed and encouraged studying abroad for students since this site was founded.  Planet College is always eager to share resources for students to allow them to pursue overseas studies. If you are an undergraduate foreign language major who has been considering studying abroad but has found the cost prohibitive there may be help. As noted in the posts linked above The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, is a scholarship intended to assist students from the USA who are studying a foreign language and wish to further their studies in another country outside of the United States.  According to their site the requirements are fairly simple.  To be eligible you must be enrolled in higher education in the USA. You must be studying one of the languages listed on their site and also you must have received a Pell Grant.   Applications are still available for Spring, 2014, and will be, according to their site, until October 1, 2013. The complete deadline list is here.  Give their site a look. You could end up studying overseas for hardly more money than you are paying to study in the USA. Pretty Cool.

Cs Overseas

Studying abroad is not just for superior students. There are a great number of programs for averages students, C students, just like you.

Your campus may have a study abroad office. If not check a campus near you. Often a walk-in, even without an appointment can give you the general parameters of studying in another country. Programs vary from a few weeks to a full year.

Check it out.

Sure, It Sounds OK.

But how am I supposed to pay for it? As you well know by now nothing about Planet College is free. So even if you are now thinking,"Hey, I'd like to try that." You realize it will cost you. But maybe not as much as you think. If you take the time to do a little calculating about your school costs per term you may learn that studying overseas isn't really much more costly than studying in the U. S. Still most students welcome any additional financial help. This site has details about programs available for college students who wish to study abroad: http://www.iie.org/programs/gilman/overview/overview.html. You will notice that to be eligible for this program you need to be receiving a Pell Grant. If you don't know what a Pell Grant is you need to visit your school's financial aid office and have this term explained to you. If you don't know if you are receiving a Pell Grant you, too, need to pay a visit to the financial aid office.

As emphasized in the post below you actually don't often need to be any more than average, a C student, to study abroad. Give it a try.

Planet College additional reminder. Internet searches. Yes, Planet College understands that you can Google "Pell Grant" and get dozens of definitions of its meaning. By now you probably understand that this type of information is limited. What students really benefit from is experience. This is why Planet College urges you to visit your school's financial aid office for a complete explanation of "Pell Grant" and how it applies to your financial aid.

Cs Overseas.

Often average students dismiss the idea of Study Abroad. Studying anything in another country they feel is beyond their reach. Because average students get average grades, Cs mostly, they dismiss without consideration, the possibility of going away for a semester or even a summer session. This assumption is superficially logical but completely erroneous.

The fact is that practically any student, no matter what caliber, is eligible for some overseas studies. If you don't have a Study Abroad representitive on your campus a web search could locate potential programs for which you are eligible.

Remember that Study Abroad is quantitatively different from Student Travel. You may already know about, may have even taken, tours of other countries. Usually with a group of other students this type of tour is essentially that, touring.

Study Abroad means traveling to another country. Once there you reside there for a period of time while studying some specific subject or subjects. The subjects vary widely, art, drama, television production, hydrology, a local dialect, anthropology, any number of college style courses. You go to class, you do the work you get a grade. Hence, Study Abroad.

If you are now saying, "Oh yeah sure, how am I supposed to pay for it?" see above.