Study Abroad (University) - Empty Closets - A safe online community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered people coming out

17th Jan 2010, 10:03 AM

Since I made a post about doing high school exchange I'm interested in people's experiences with studying abroad in university.

I'm a linguistics major at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and I'm doing a 2 semester (year long) study abroad program at the Universitat de les Illes Balears in Spain, studying Spanish and Catalan History and Language.

Have any of you participated in study abroad programs or interested in doing study abroad? If so, where did you study? What did you study? If you are interested in doing it, what do you want to study and where?

Ander Blue · 17th Jan 2010, 10:23 AM

I'm planning out a study abroad! I'm a Chemical Engineering major going to school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and I'll be going to Denmark Technical Institute this upcoming fall semester. I won't be focusing on anything special while I'm abroad, pretty much all the classes I'm taking are just going to be making requirements for my curriculum back home. I'll be going over at the latest in August and staying until the end of January.

I'm terribly excited to get it all started up. I'm planning on traveling around Europe during the winter break, and I might be coming up earlier in the summer to either work or just be there.

AllSmiles · 17th Jan 2010, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ander Blue

I'm planning out a study abroad! I'm a Chemical Engineering major going to school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and I'll be going to Denmark Technical Institute this upcoming fall semester. I won't be focusing on anything special while I'm abroad, pretty much all the classes I'm taking are just going to be making requirements for my curriculum back home. I'll be going over at the latest in August and staying until the end of January.

You know I like this, Chaz!

Hoppip · 17th Jan 2010, 10:42 AM

I'm still in high school. I want to major in Linguistics (but I have to settle for French). I want to study abroad somewhere in France. I've been learning French for five years, so hopefully by my junior year of university I should be proficient enough to not die in France. :'D

17th Jan 2010, 11:07 AM

Nohtanaes,

Why do you say you have to settle for French? Have you though of maybe doing an exchange program after high school? Are you a senior or a junior? You don't have to settle for anything! If you want to study linguistics, then study linguistics! You are located in Colorado? Are you looking to go to school somewhere in Colorado or are you open to other universities? Are you familiar with linguistics? Which area do you like? I could give you great recommendations of schools that would specialize in your area.

For example, the University of Washington has a great Lingusitics program with an excellent sub-field in Romance Linguistics. You could do both French and Linguistics! Let me know if you have any questions! Don't settle! I think it is great you are learning French and love it, but it is a pretty competitive language, especially in North America as many people, like you, fall in love with it and learn it!

----------

Not to discourage you, nohtanaes, but I've met people who have degrees in French and even studied abroad for a semester, and their French is complete crap and incomprehensible! On the other hand, I have met people who did a year abroad as high school exchange students (living with host families and not studying with other people from their country) and their French is amazing, a few I've met have native like accents!

SolitaryKnight · 17th Jan 2010, 01:56 PM

I've done two study abroad programs, both of them were in Greece. The first one was purely for my courses at university that I earned credit for. We went from Athens to Corinth, Sparta, Olympia and Delphi and several other places. Since my degree was in Ancient History, we visited all the sites and museums we could. Its much different to be at the place that you are studying than to look at it only in pictures in textbooks. It gave me a new appreciation of what I was studying.

The second program I went to the northern part of Greece, near Thessaloniki. There I was in a program to learn modern Greek and go on tours to famous sites in the north. While not as exhilerating as my first trip, it was still amazing since I met lots of interesting people from all over the world and saw some interesting places that I wouldn't otherwise have seen.

My experiences abroad were absolutely amazing and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Hoppip · 17th Jan 2010, 02:36 PM

The only school in Colorado that has linguistics as a major is CU Boulder. That's $26,000 a year (read: too much for me), it's full of pot-smoking hippies, and the cost of living there is insanely high. I'm going to be doing French Emphasis on Secondary Teaching at a different school, so I'll basically already have a double major (and I'm going to try to fit in a Writing minor, and maybe even do the Honors program).

I'm not leaving Colorado unless it's for France.

EDIT: My main thing is that I want to perfect my French and English (writing) skills. I want to teach both of them and/or EFL in France.

TyraBanksIsFierce · 17th Jan 2010, 02:42 PM

I've always wanted to study in Canada(Toronto) but I guess the reality is I wouldn't be able to afford it.

So, realistically i'd probably go study in Australia, in one of the East coast cities

17th Jan 2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nohtanaes

The only school in Colorado that has linguistics as a major is CU Boulder. That's $26,000 a year (read: too much for me), it's full of pot-smoking hippies, and the cost of living there is insanely high. I'm going to be doing French Emphasis on Secondary Teaching at a different school, so I'll basically already have a double major (and I'm going to try to fit in a Writing minor, and maybe even do the Honors program).

I'm not leaving Colorado unless it's for France.

EDIT: My main thing is that I want to perfect my French and English (writing) skills. I want to teach both of them and/or EFL in France.

This saddens me....but if this is what you want to do then go for it! But we need more LINGUISTS! Why don't you want to leave CO?

Hoppip · 17th Jan 2010, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Etienne

This saddens me....but if this is what you want to do then go for it! But we need more LINGUISTS! Why don't you want to leave CO?

I'm "economically disadvantaged." I also like my family too much, and I have my heart set on the school I'm going to. Besides, I dislike non-Colorado states anyway.

17th Jan 2010, 03:02 PM

Well goodluck studying abroad with that attitude....you'll have to get over the family closeness if you are going to survive living abroad! All the people I knew who were way close with their family and did exchange with me, either were miserable the whole time and stayed on line all the time, or they left and went home...

littledinosaurs · 17th Jan 2010, 09:27 PM

I haven't studied abroad yet, but I will soon!!
Over this summer I am going to France for an intensive French Language program! It should be really awesome because a lot of kids from different countries will be going to the same city. I believe my school will be the only school from the US and the idea is that us students will have to use French to communicate because it will be our only common language. I am really pumped to go and I know that I'll learn so much. It will also be a great experience to not only learn french culture, but about the cultures of all the other students!

BrownBoi89 · 18th Jan 2010, 12:16 AM

Hey Etienne!

I too am from UBC! I leave the day the Olympics start for my exchange program and I will be studying for one semester at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. My main reason for going on exchange is to meet people, to travel, and to experience living on my own away from my family and on campus. As much as I love my family, I'm kinda getting sick of living with them lol. So this will be a nice change. I'm super excited!

18th Jan 2010, 01:20 AM

Awesome Brownboi!

Have a great time abroad!

donnie5 · 18th Jan 2010, 02:13 AM

I'm in nursing school right now in Nebraska but I plan on moving to Britain after at some point to study language casually, then I plan on joining the peace corps. I'm requesting to be stationed in eastern Europe.

18th Jan 2010, 02:25 AM

Eastern Europe, you'll go to Romania most likely!

donnie5 · 18th Jan 2010, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Etienne

Eastern Europe, you'll go to Romania most likely!

Yes, A woman from my college came here from Romania the language is very beautiful I speak Spanish so at least I have on latin based language in my repertoire to help me with learning another one though I heard from her that it is closer to Italian

**Eleanor Rigby** · 18th Jan 2010, 03:52 AM

I studied for one year in the UK at Durham's university when I was 22 as an ERASMUS student. And then I did a part of my teacher's training as an exchange student at Worcester university when I was 25.
And if I ever get the opportunity to work in a primary school in the UK, or in any other english speaking country, I will seize it. Living in the UK has been the best experiences of my life. Now, everytime I set a foot in the UK, I feel at home, and that's a very nice feeling.

By the way Sean, your french is great and I am sure you would already be able to live in France without problems.

**Meropspusillus** · 18th Jan 2010, 04:13 AM

I'm currently planning on studying abroad in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). My college has a program there that's quite good, and I really, really want to see the Serengeti.

Now I just have to get into the program.

olides84 · 18th Jan 2010, 04:36 AM

I graduated from UCLA. While there, I did an exchange program at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (Economics University of Vienna) in Austria. While I never really got the hang of German--I had never taken it until the summer before I went--my studies were in English and I was able to take a number of interesting courses. It was a great experience, and Vienna is such a beautiful city.

I'm sure my study abroad was instrumental in giving me the confidence to eventually move to Europe where I now live.

17th Jan 2010, 10:03 AM	#1
iLambedil Guest Posts: n/a	Study Abroad (University) Since I made a post about doing high school exchange I'm interested in people's experiences with studying abroad in university. I'm a linguistics major at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and I'm doing a 2 semester (year long) study abroad program at the Universitat de les Illes Balears in Spain, studying Spanish and Catalan History and Language. Have any of you participated in study abroad programs or interested in doing study abroad? If so, where did you study? What did you study? If you are interested in doing it, what do you want to study and where?

17th Jan 2010, 10:23 AM	#2
Ander Blue feeling comfy Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: Out to everyone Location: Copenhagen, Denmark (normally Troy, New York) Age: 22 Posts: 428 Join Date: Nov 2009	Re: Study Abroad (University) I'm planning out a study abroad! I'm a Chemical Engineering major going to school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and I'll be going to Denmark Technical Institute this upcoming fall semester. I won't be focusing on anything special while I'm abroad, pretty much all the classes I'm taking are just going to be making requirements for my curriculum back home. I'll be going over at the latest in August and staying until the end of January. I'm terribly excited to get it all started up. I'm planning on traveling around Europe during the winter break, and I might be coming up earlier in the summer to either work or just be there. __________________ Re-examine all you have been told.... Dismiss what insults your soul. ~ Walt Whitman

17th Jan 2010, 10:42 AM	#4
Hoppip look at the good i do Full Member Gender: Lv. 18 ♂ Orientation: Water / Dragon Out Status: Uncommon Location: Johto Posts: 1,562 Join Date: May 2008	Re: Study Abroad (University) I'm still in high school. I want to major in Linguistics (but I have to settle for French). I want to study abroad somewhere in France. I've been learning French for five years, so hopefully by my junior year of university I should be proficient enough to not die in France. :'D __________________ KUDOS ME. I made myshelf pregnant.

17th Jan 2010, 11:07 AM	#5
iLambedil Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Study Abroad (University) Nohtanaes, Why do you say you have to settle for French? Have you though of maybe doing an exchange program after high school? Are you a senior or a junior? You don't have to settle for anything! If you want to study linguistics, then study linguistics! You are located in Colorado? Are you looking to go to school somewhere in Colorado or are you open to other universities? Are you familiar with linguistics? Which area do you like? I could give you great recommendations of schools that would specialize in your area. For example, the University of Washington has a great Lingusitics program with an excellent sub-field in Romance Linguistics. You could do both French and Linguistics! Let me know if you have any questions! Don't settle! I think it is great you are learning French and love it, but it is a pretty competitive language, especially in North America as many people, like you, fall in love with it and learn it! ---------- Not to discourage you, nohtanaes, but I've met people who have degrees in French and even studied abroad for a semester, and their French is complete crap and incomprehensible! On the other hand, I have met people who did a year abroad as high school exchange students (living with host families and not studying with other people from their country) and their French is amazing, a few I've met have native like accents! Last edited by iLambedil; 17th Jan 2010 at 11:08 AM.. Reason: corrected spelling error

17th Jan 2010, 01:56 PM	#6
SolitaryKnight EC Addict Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: the family knows and some other people Location: Atlantic Canada Age: 27 Posts: 360 Join Date: Oct 2009	Re: Study Abroad (University) I've done two study abroad programs, both of them were in Greece. The first one was purely for my courses at university that I earned credit for. We went from Athens to Corinth, Sparta, Olympia and Delphi and several other places. Since my degree was in Ancient History, we visited all the sites and museums we could. Its much different to be at the place that you are studying than to look at it only in pictures in textbooks. It gave me a new appreciation of what I was studying. The second program I went to the northern part of Greece, near Thessaloniki. There I was in a program to learn modern Greek and go on tours to famous sites in the north. While not as exhilerating as my first trip, it was still amazing since I met lots of interesting people from all over the world and saw some interesting places that I wouldn't otherwise have seen. My experiences abroad were absolutely amazing and I wouldn't trade that for anything. __________________ To conquer oneself is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one's own nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat. ~ Plato

17th Jan 2010, 02:36 PM	#7
Hoppip look at the good i do Full Member Gender: Lv. 18 ♂ Orientation: Water / Dragon Out Status: Uncommon Location: Johto Posts: 1,562 Join Date: May 2008	Re: Study Abroad (University) The only school in Colorado that has linguistics as a major is CU Boulder. That's $26,000 a year (read: too much for me), it's full of pot-smoking hippies, and the cost of living there is insanely high. I'm going to be doing French Emphasis on Secondary Teaching at a different school, so I'll basically already have a double major (and I'm going to try to fit in a Writing minor, and maybe even do the Honors program). I'm not leaving Colorado unless it's for France. EDIT: My main thing is that I want to perfect my French and English (writing) skills. I want to teach both of them and/or EFL in France. __________________ KUDOS ME. I made myshelf pregnant.

17th Jan 2010, 02:42 PM	#8
TyraBanksIsFierce EC Addict Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Bisexual Out Status: Most~ Age: 19 Posts: 666 Join Date: Jan 2008	Re: Study Abroad (University) I've always wanted to study in Canada(Toronto) but I guess the reality is I wouldn't be able to afford it. So, realistically i'd probably go study in Australia, in one of the East coast cities

17th Jan 2010, 03:02 PM	#11
iLambedil Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Study Abroad (University) Well goodluck studying abroad with that attitude....you'll have to get over the family closeness if you are going to survive living abroad! All the people I knew who were way close with their family and did exchange with me, either were miserable the whole time and stayed on line all the time, or they left and went home...

17th Jan 2010, 09:27 PM	#12
littledinosaurs J'essaie de Parler Français! :] Full Member Gender: Garçon Orientation: Bisexuel Location: Nouvelle-Angleterre. Age: 21 Posts: 2,351 Join Date: Sep 2008	Re: Study Abroad (University) I haven't studied abroad yet, but I will soon!! Over this summer I am going to France for an intensive French Language program! It should be really awesome because a lot of kids from different countries will be going to the same city. I believe my school will be the only school from the US and the idea is that us students will have to use French to communicate because it will be our only common language. I am really pumped to go and I know that I'll learn so much. It will also be a great experience to not only learn french culture, but about the cultures of all the other students! __________________ Âllo Là

18th Jan 2010, 12:16 AM	#13
BrownBoi89 Well Known Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: Everyone knows except my extended family Location: Vancouver Age: 22 Posts: 101 Join Date: Oct 2009	Re: Study Abroad (University) Hey Etienne! I too am from UBC! I leave the day the Olympics start for my exchange program and I will be studying for one semester at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. My main reason for going on exchange is to meet people, to travel, and to experience living on my own away from my family and on campus. As much as I love my family, I'm kinda getting sick of living with them lol. So this will be a nice change. I'm super excited!

18th Jan 2010, 01:20 AM	#14
iLambedil Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Study Abroad (University) Awesome Brownboi! Have a great time abroad!

18th Jan 2010, 02:13 AM	#15
donnie5 A Backwards Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: Out to everyone Location: omaha, ne Age: 27 Posts: 409 Join Date:** May 2007	Re: Study Abroad (University) I'm in nursing school right now in Nebraska but I plan on moving to Britain after at some point to study language casually, then I plan on joining the peace corps. I'm requesting to be stationed in eastern Europe. __________________ the world moves in mysterious ways but i decided a long time ago that i was going to follow my own path

18th Jan 2010, 02:25 AM	#16
iLambedil Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Study Abroad (University) Eastern Europe, you'll go to Romania most likely!

18th Jan 2010, 03:52 AM	#18
Eleanor Rigby Filip's sidekick EC Advisor Gender: Female Orientation: Straight Out Status: Out as straight ally Location: France Age: 32 Posts: 5,400 Join Date: Feb 2009	Re: Study Abroad (University) I studied for one year in the UK at Durham's university when I was 22 as an ERASMUS student. And then I did a part of my teacher's training as an exchange student at Worcester university when I was 25. And if I ever get the opportunity to work in a primary school in the UK, or in any other english speaking country, I will seize it. Living in the UK has been the best experiences of my life. Now, everytime I set a foot in the UK, I feel at home, and that's a very nice feeling. By the way Sean, your french is great and I am sure you would already be able to live in France without problems. __________________ "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply as a means." Immanuel Kant

18th Jan 2010, 04:13 AM	#19
Meropspusillus RAWR DINOSAURS EC Chat Mod Gender: I make the small motile sex cells. Orientation: I like people who make small motile sex cells. Out Status: CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP Location: Indiana or New Mexico. Who knows? Age: 22 Posts: 895 Join Date: Dec 2008	Re: Study Abroad (University) I'm currently planning on studying abroad in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). My college has a program there that's quite good, and I really, really want to see the Serengeti. Now I just have to get into the program. __________________ (Insert witty signature here)

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18th Jan 2010, 04:36 AM	#20
olides84 stranger in a strange land Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: Pretty much Location: Belgium Posts: 1,042 Join Date: Jun 2008	Re: Study Abroad (University) I graduated from UCLA. While there, I did an exchange program at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (Economics University of Vienna) in Austria. While I never really got the hang of German--I had never taken it until the summer before I went--my studies were in English and I was able to take a number of interesting courses. It was a great experience, and Vienna is such a beautiful city. I'm sure my study abroad was instrumental in giving me the confidence to eventually move to Europe where I now live.