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Vieux Québec
“You should have gone to France.” These were the parting words offered to me as I attained the final in an obnoxiously long trail of signatures before finalizing my study abroad paperwork. “You should have gone to France.” Everyone, from the study abroad office recruiters to the French Department to my vapid friends, offered this advice as if it were some new gem of wisdom that I, tragically, hadn’t considered.
Studying abroad is easily one of the most expensive ways to travel. However, it is a pretty seductive option for travel-obsessed students who have essentially landlocked themselves for the duration of their 4-year university experience.
As a language student I tirelessly scoured the Internet for study abroad options in France. All in the name of thrift, I started my search with the 5-week summer language programs offered in the larger cities in France. My pocket book yelped when the cheapest program rendered began at $9,500. Prices only skyrocketed from there when considering semester- or year-long programs.
Every recruiter, professor, counselor, or janitor that I encountered in the halls of academia encouraged me to empty my pockets, consult additional academic lenders, and seize what was sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. What they did not know was that I was already equipped with the liberating knowledge gleaned over years of vagabonding. $9,500?! I could take my $9,500, hit the road, and travel all of Africa and Southeast Asia for at least a year. I could cool it in Morocco or Egypt and learn French in the company of the locals for the price of a coffee or sandwich. These experiences would go much further than any tailor-made immersion program could offer.
In the end, hoping to knock off a few credits and graduate early, I managed to scrounge up a 5-week program at Université Laval in Québec City, Canada. This sprawling campus is located in the heart of Québec City, only blocks from the Vieux Québec where one can wander the narrow sloped streets and marvel at something so unique only a few hours North of the United States. The program boasts all of the same immersion activities found in the pricier programs in Europe. Students even have the options of living in a home stay with a Québecois family. At the time the exchange rate was gloriously in my favour, but even after several years the cost of the program has only crept to roughly $2,000. For those soured by study abroad prices, and likewise shouldering the financial burden of college on their own, this is a far more appealing option.
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Excellent info. I’ll send it to any of my students looking to study a language abroad.
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I knew a classmate from my college French classes that did this program. She came back raving about the town and spoke in better French than half the kids who’d studied in France. I think it’s a great option not only for the cash-strapped, but for those really looking for a “different” abroad experience, since Québec is one of the largest francophone communities in the world. She even got to drive her car across the border and have it with her to travel all over Québec!
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
That’s awesome LP! I got to do the same thing. I drove my car up and was able to make a whole road trip put of it. I was also able to take weekend trips to Montreal and around the whole Québec Province. It’s an experience that I still hold very dear to my heart.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I agree that it can be very expensive to study abroad, however if your university would have allowed it, I would have recommended directly enrolling in a foreign public university or program. This is what I did twice, once for a semester and once for a year abroad and it ended up costing much less than I would have paid for 12 credit hours at home in the U.S. However, I was responsible for enrolling, finding my own housing, signing up for classes, making sure the credits were sent back home etc. and it obviously helps to already know the local language, but in my case it all went very smoothly. Whenever their is a ‘program provider’ working as an intermediary between you and the foreign university the costs will be high. Unfortunately most students don’t realize that if their study abroad office allows it, directly enrolling, especially into established foreign programs is much easier than they think. This program http://www.ccfs-sorbonne.fr/sommaire.php3?lang=en is a popular one in Paris and is pretty affordable and easy to directly enroll into yourself, especially if you have some French already or a friend to help who does. Finally, if possible always try to study abroad for a semester or longer. While shorter summer programs are growing in popularity because of convenience, a semester or year abroad is often more cost effective, you really get a chance to be immersed in local culture and often during summers local student are not present so you are studying with other foreign study abroad students. Finally (almost done) I have also weighed study abroad vs an around the world trip and while I am jealous of all my gap year friends who have already trekked across three continents, while I barely left Oslo, I would not have traded my study abroad experience for a ticket from AirTreks any day, living abroad as a student for 6 months or 9 offers you the chance to develop long term relationships, get a job, join local student clubs, really learn about the foreign culture and make a home abroad, I think studying abroad is a unique once in a lifetime experience, that unfortunately only around 1 percent of American college students do every year, trekking Africa and SEA can be done after graduation studying abroad can’t.