Who here has studied abroad? vol. Pimpin all over the world

[DeadsetAce]

Originally Posted by keithsweatsjordans

DeadsetAce

Aussie's another country I'm looking at...glad to hear you had a good time. Any particular things you'd tell someone who was going?


i think in general...a lot of people go abroad and hang in a close knit pack of americans. it's fine to do that, as long as you branch out and meet locals. it's the best way to just experience another culture. the people there are pretty friendly, as long as george bush isn't your idol. they're pretty welcoming to americans i think, as long as you're respectful. lot of americans go there, party like crazy, get way too drunk, and act loud and obnoxiuous. that's the quickest way to get your %!# kicked. don't get me wrong, aussies drink and party with the best of them, but they handle their booze much better than the average american, imo. great thai food in australia. even better beer. the lifestyle is great...if it's a nice day out, people will be at the beach instead of work. work to live, not the other way around like here.
use school breaks and the time before and after your semester to travel, both in and around australia. there's ton to see in australia. definitely try and hit new zealand on your school's week long break. it's pretty easy and not too inexpensive to book your flight so that one leg goes through fiji...amazing place. some people hit asia on the way home. all depends on how much you can spend and what you're interested in...but at the least, use some weekends to try and explore other parts of australia.

feel free to PM if you have anything specific you need to know.

 

[oidreez]

Originally Posted by CWrite78

inb4 studying a broad jokes

aww get outta here

 

[oidreez]

Originally Posted by CWrite78

inb4 studying a broad jokes

aww get outta here

 

[nyota de la star]

Haven't done it yet but heavily interested. Hopefully when I'm caught up a little with my major. I was thinking London
but I kinda want to go somewhere a little "less developed" since I'm interested in International Development issues and what not.

 

[nyota de la star]

Haven't done it yet but heavily interested. Hopefully when I'm caught up a little with my major. I was thinking London
but I kinda want to go somewhere a little "less developed" since I'm interested in International Development issues and what not.

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by RavageBX

Originally Posted by Inspectorgadget13

Originally Posted by keithsweatsjordans

Originally Posted by Inspectorgadget13

I was in Spain this summer it was the best time of my life. Study abroad/travel when the world cup is going on

.

NICE. Spain is one of the destinations I'm looking at...any things you wish you knew before going?

And Grim I feel you on the academics. I've heard it both ways i.e. classes are super hard/easy but hopefully I can balance the experience and actually doing work

Service in Spain is very slow. I would be at a restaurant waiting for service and getting the bill would always take days. Oh yeah they have 2 siestas(naps) a day so shops wouldnt be open during certain hours. It's not like the US where shops/restaurants are open all the time. I experienced the good and bad but it was well worth it. If you're going to be there during the summer be sure to check out Ibiza. There are two things you need to do in college and that is to get laid and study abroad

.  

  

I was in Spain (Barcelona) studying abroad this summer too. Did 6 weeks. I missed out in undergrad and this was my last chance so I jumped at it. Definitely one of the best times I've had in my life. Being out there for the world cup victory was a great stroke of luck as well

. For my experience the classes were conducted in a serious matter but the professor's grading was way more lenient. I suspect this would be the same with most programs for two reasons: 1) the professors know that you are also out their to enjoy the experience and immerse yourself in the foreign culture, so od'in on the academics would be a messed up thing to do; and 2) schools want to attract people to study abroad and no one will want to spend all that money and study abroad if they hear that half the students got terrible grades. Anyways, I didn't experience the bad service or anything like that but maybe its because my Spanish is pretty decent. Overall I was able to immerse myself in the culture and got to enjoy one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to (the food and architecture were

). My only regret was not making it to Ibiza. I spent a few of my weekends traveling to other European cities such as Amsterdam (twice), Paris and London. I didn't have enough time during the week to head out to Ibiza but I'm sure this won't be my last time in Spain so I'll get it on the next go around.

My advice to you OP is if you want to go to Spain, make sure you find a good deal on a place to stay that's located near the metro. They hustle real estate out there just like we do and the brokers are just looking to make a buck, but there are some deals to be had. Also, it definitely helps to know basic Spanish but if not you can still survive. A decent amount of people speak English. Hell what caught me off guard was how many people spoke Indian languages. My roommate was Indian and between me and him we had the game on lock lol. It seemed like at least 50 percent of the shop owners and workers were Indian and he could talk to all of them while I covered the Spanish ones. One last piece of advice, don't stare at the ******* on the beach

Meh I don't necessarily agree with that. Study abroad is a valuable resume chip that sets you apart from the pack. If you have a good amount of work experience and a choice between study abroad or working a third or fourth internship for free, I say study abroad. If you don't have work experience though you should definitely work.

Damn son, how come you didnt go to Ibiza? It's probably mad cheap to fly from Barca to Ibiza...whenever I visit Spain Barca and Ibiza are musts...$%$% Madrid...OK, not really

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by RavageBX

Originally Posted by Inspectorgadget13

Originally Posted by keithsweatsjordans

Originally Posted by Inspectorgadget13

I was in Spain this summer it was the best time of my life. Study abroad/travel when the world cup is going on

.

NICE. Spain is one of the destinations I'm looking at...any things you wish you knew before going?

And Grim I feel you on the academics. I've heard it both ways i.e. classes are super hard/easy but hopefully I can balance the experience and actually doing work

Service in Spain is very slow. I would be at a restaurant waiting for service and getting the bill would always take days. Oh yeah they have 2 siestas(naps) a day so shops wouldnt be open during certain hours. It's not like the US where shops/restaurants are open all the time. I experienced the good and bad but it was well worth it. If you're going to be there during the summer be sure to check out Ibiza. There are two things you need to do in college and that is to get laid and study abroad

.  

  

I was in Spain (Barcelona) studying abroad this summer too. Did 6 weeks. I missed out in undergrad and this was my last chance so I jumped at it. Definitely one of the best times I've had in my life. Being out there for the world cup victory was a great stroke of luck as well

. For my experience the classes were conducted in a serious matter but the professor's grading was way more lenient. I suspect this would be the same with most programs for two reasons: 1) the professors know that you are also out their to enjoy the experience and immerse yourself in the foreign culture, so od'in on the academics would be a messed up thing to do; and 2) schools want to attract people to study abroad and no one will want to spend all that money and study abroad if they hear that half the students got terrible grades. Anyways, I didn't experience the bad service or anything like that but maybe its because my Spanish is pretty decent. Overall I was able to immerse myself in the culture and got to enjoy one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to (the food and architecture were

). My only regret was not making it to Ibiza. I spent a few of my weekends traveling to other European cities such as Amsterdam (twice), Paris and London. I didn't have enough time during the week to head out to Ibiza but I'm sure this won't be my last time in Spain so I'll get it on the next go around.

My advice to you OP is if you want to go to Spain, make sure you find a good deal on a place to stay that's located near the metro. They hustle real estate out there just like we do and the brokers are just looking to make a buck, but there are some deals to be had. Also, it definitely helps to know basic Spanish but if not you can still survive. A decent amount of people speak English. Hell what caught me off guard was how many people spoke Indian languages. My roommate was Indian and between me and him we had the game on lock lol. It seemed like at least 50 percent of the shop owners and workers were Indian and he could talk to all of them while I covered the Spanish ones. One last piece of advice, don't stare at the ******* on the beach

Meh I don't necessarily agree with that. Study abroad is a valuable resume chip that sets you apart from the pack. If you have a good amount of work experience and a choice between study abroad or working a third or fourth internship for free, I say study abroad. If you don't have work experience though you should definitely work.

Damn son, how come you didnt go to Ibiza? It's probably mad cheap to fly from Barca to Ibiza...whenever I visit Spain Barca and Ibiza are musts...$%$% Madrid...OK, not really