Posts Tagged ‘Smart Study Abroad blog’

Two resources for study/travel abroad

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

The Smart Study Abroad blog: An incisively written and broad look at issues pertaining to study (and sometimes more generally travel) abroad. The main goal of the blog is to encourage more students to incorporate study abroad into their college experiences, as well as to make less intimidating the idea of “getting a passport and getting on a plane” for those students with no direct experience and no family experience in studying abroad. But even more than this, Smart Study Abroad engages and covers a range of topics with regard to study abroad—from study abroad for “nontraditional” college students to student documentaries on study abroad to the fact that one of the astronauts currently in space is a study abroad alum. Definitely worthwhile reading for anyone interested in international education issues. Thanks to Brian Steffen at Simpson College in Iowa, editor of the blog, for engaging in a little back and forth.

Facultyled.com: Co-founded by Wendy Williamson, author of Study Abroad 101, and run by Agapy LLC, this site compiles information on study abroad programs, airfare, scholarships, accommodations, partnerships, insurance, program development, marketing, and more. The tips offered range from how to begin thinking about what program to select to how to talk to your parents once you’ve decided to go to how and what to pack. A section on financial aid for study abroad has a number of useful links for further research. Thanks to Wendy for her comment on my recent post on new legislation aimed at helping Americans volunteer abroad:

I was in the Peace Corps for four years. I find that most people do the Peace Corps after college or after retirement. I think a program that would allow people to volunteer abroad between life’s turning points, for shorter periods of time, would be very helpful in getting more people involved.

[Apologies for the orgy of links above. I'm particularly caught up in the information-sharing capabilities of the internets this morning, I guess....]