You are probably already familiar with most, if not all, of these possibilities for living abroad, but what might surprise you is how inexpensive each of them -- with proper planning -- can be. Money isn't what separates the well-traveled from the not-so-well-traveled; motivation is. So if you've always wanted to live overseas, but your unfortunate lack of a big fat savings account has held you back, read on. And then get up off your butt and move somewhere else for a while. Because while none of the following options take (much) money, that doesn't mean they are easy.
Part 1: Study Abroad
Everyone talks about it, and (almost) nobody actually does it. According to a 2011 study, only 1% of U.S. college students study abroad for academic credit. This is puzzling to me, since practically every college and university offers a variety of summer-, semester-, or year-long options for studying internationally, and even if yours doesn't, there are countless outside programs to choose from. What's the deal?
Having surveyed a number of former classmates on the subject, most say they would have liked to study abroad if money weren't an issue. If you're among that group, listen carefully. Unless you're on an athletic scholarship or in some other way mandated to spend all +/- 4 years of school on campus, you can study abroad at no extra cost. In fact, with any of the following options you can actually save money by spending a summer, semester, or year overseas.
Use Your School
Many schools offer study abroad programs (during the academic year or over the summer) that are specific to the institution. While these are often more expensive than their more generic counterparts, they do boast one BIG advantage – your financial aid package often carries over, which isn't always the case for outside programs. So if you get a lot of FA from your school, this might be the cheapest option for you.
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| Enjoying a class-free weekend in the Lake District during my college's annual "Wheaton in England" program. |
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Do a Summer Program
You can save the better part of a semester's worth of tuition by spending a summer abroad. It's that simple. Complete up to 12 credits overseas for a fraction of the cost of a regular semester, graduate a semester early, and voila. Do this two summers in a row, and save twice as much! It's not hard to find a program in virtually any area of study (and if you can't find something that applies to your major, just use the opportunity to get some of those obnoxious Gen-Eds out of the way).
Go to Europe
You might think Europe would be one of the priciest places to study abroad... but you'd be wrong. The beauty of their semi-socialist education system is it's mad cheap. If you happen to be fluent in a European language, you can enroll directly into one of their universities, often for free. Even if you're not, you can find programs in English that charge international students mere hundreds of dollars per semester. Or if you're the daredevil type, pay comparable fees to enroll in an immersion program and come out on the other side bilingual.
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| Exploring the great city of Athens during a study abroad trip in Greece. |
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Find a Scholarship
You may be surprised to learn that the government will pay you to study abroad. If you're up for jetting off to a "region of strategic interest" (i.e. not Europe), you can up to $10,000 in scholarship money, potentially more if you plan on studying a language like Russian, Arabic, or Chinese. And those are just federal grants. Do a bit of research and you'll find all kinds of other scholarship opportunities. Like every option listed here, this takes time and effort, but hey, no pain no gain right?
P.S. - Check back soon for Part 2: Work in Hospitality
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