Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Costs one of many concerns for Fall 2009 study abroad students

For students finalizing their study abroad plans – especially in the midst of a recession – a wide range of costs and financial consequences need to be considered.

For Danielle Tannenbaum, studying in Spain in the fall means working for three fewer weeks over the summer.

“My financial concern is spending money,” the Communication sophomore said. “My program leaves a month earlier (than Northwestern starts in the fall) so I am losing about three weeks of work money.”

As students make their study abroad plans, it is important to review program costs, said Robin Leephaibul, assistant director of NU’s Study Abroad Office, who also recommended reading evaluations by students who have studied at their destination in the past.

“When students go through the application process in the fall they ask a lot about housing, courses and internships, but some students don’t ask about costs until later,” Leephaibul said. “Only once they have been accepted they show the parents the costs.”

The Study Abroad Office does not yet know how the recession will affect the number of students who decide to go abroad, but this winter the office received 60 fewer study abroad applications than they did last year for fall and full-year programs.

Although her study abroad program is “much more expensive” than a quarter at NU, Tannenbaum said she plans to make the cost work out by finishing school early.

“I won’t be taking classes Fall Quarter senior year because of the credit I will get abroad, so eventually it will pay for itself,” she said.

Another financial issue students should anticipate is the exchange rate in their host country.

“I heard things are more expensive in London…like bottled water, and I buy a lot of water bottles, so I am not sure what to do about that,” said Lu Yao, a Weinberg sophomore who plans to study abroad Fall Quarter.

While many students could picture themselves in a specific location during the pre-departure orientation, some are still waiting to be officially accepted to their programs or trying to decide between two or three different programs, Leephaibul said. The office will not have an official count of students going abroad until at least the end of the month.

Abby Lembersky, who will be spending the fall in Montpellier, France, said her biggest concern right now is not the cost of her program, but paying to reserve housing at NU for when she returns.

“I want to live in my sorority house, but I have to pay a fee for Fall Quarter even though I am not going to be here, unless I can find someone who wants to live in just for Fall Quarter,” the Weinberg sophomore said.

While students at this point in the study abroad process expressed some concerns about finances or the technicalities of transferring course credit back to NU, very few of them are concerned about adjusting to a new and different culture. However, Leephaibul said students studying abroad should be prepared to experience the unexpected during their time abroad.

“I think that no matter how much you read about your host country or talk to returnees, everyone’s experience is different,” she said.

Patrick Pijls, who will study in Argentina in the fall, said he is ready to jump into his study abroad experience.

“I think any time you are going away for any reason you have a sense of anxiety; you don’t know what is going to happen next,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “But the worries are in the back of my mind. I really look forward to immersing myself in a region I have never explored before.”

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Costs one of many concerns for Fall 2009 study abroad students