Scholarships can help with the credits, but students must use smart spending to buy books, airfare, day-to-day expenses and souvenirs
December 1, 2008
Study abroad adviser Jane Battisson said it is a common misconception that many students are unable to pay for studying abroad but said “there’s always a way.”
Scholarships are one way to finance a study abroad trip. Kent State offers scholarships specifically for students who are studying abroad, as do many individual organizations.
Senior English major Lisa Davis was able to pay for her semester at the University of Leicester in England through scholarships.
“All of my scholarships applied,” she said. “The Honors College also has several study abroad scholarships, so thankfully it wasn’t too expensive for me.”
Elizabeth Whiteman, junior managerial marketing major, also received scholarships to help pay for study abroad program.
“They are available, you just have to look,” she said.
A resourceful tool, study abroad adviser Judith Carroll said, is the scholarship search on Iiepassport Web site, www.iiepassport.org, which is not affiliated with Kent State.
Scholarships for specific purposes, such as the cost of books or housing, may not be approved when studying abroad, and because of that Carroll said it is important for students to check with the scholarship guidelines before they study abroad.
| Scholarships available for studying abroad
&bull College of Business Administration International Study Scholarship College of Business students Contact : Dean’s Office, Room 107 BSA, College of Business &bull Edward E. and Margaret M. Bauer Study-Abroad Scholarship – Geneva Semester Contact: Office of International Affairs, Van Campen Hall &bull Fulbright and NSEP applications Contact: Kenneth Cushner, College of Education, Health and Human Services &bull Honors College – available to honors students Contact: Dr. Deborah Craig, Honors College in Stopher Hall &bull Phi Beta Delta Study-Abroad Scholarship: KSU undergraduates participating in accredited program Contact: Debra Lyons, Office of International Affairs, Van Campen Hall for an application Source: http://www.dept.kent.edu/oia/ |
Students can also receive financial aid to help pay for the expenses that come along with studying abroad, Carroll said.
In some cases, Battisson said the study abroad programs and financial aid will give students a food stipend.
But of course, no trip abroad is complete without a little bit of spending money.
“People should always keep in mind that when you do go over there, your money is just going to diminish,” Davis said. “I couldn’t believe how much money I spent over there.”
Battisson said one way to save money while studying abroad is to make a budget and stick to it. Another way to save money, she said, is to not eat at restaurants often because many restaurants in Europe are very expensive.
“Save it for once a week or once every two weeks,” she said.
Students can also run into problems when it comes to methods of paying for purchases. Prepaid money cards are an option for travelers who do not have a credit card. Cash is also another option for travelers for small purchases such as cab fare, but anyone using cash needs to know the exchange rate so that they are not charged with additional fees.
Students could also incur expenses from cell phones and prepaid calling cards.
“The cell phone charges were outrageous,” Whiteman said. “I had to buy a special phone to take over there, and half the time it didn’t work, so I ended up buying a phone card, which was still expensive.”
Contact international affairs reporter Leila Archer at [email protected].
