Year Abroad

I'm currently on a course that requires you to spend a year abroad because I study a language as a minor. I don't want to go on the year abroad for a number of reasons (change in interests, reports of poor teaching at foreign universities and the fact that other students have said the year to be fun but pretty pointless).Has anyone had any experience with these issue and is there any way to make my university allow me to complete my degree without the year abroad?

Reply 1

FionaMG

Original post by Bueller1234

Hi.

Since you are studying a language, the year abroad is so not pointless because there is no better way to really learn a language than to be immersed in a country where it is spoken. It sounds to me like these other students may have spent their whole time socialising with other English-speaking students and enjoying themselves, rather than seizing a fabulous opportunity to make their year abroad worthwhile.

As far as the teaching is concerned, there will be good unis and bad ones, just like in the UK, and even within the same uni, there could be good and bad departments, again as can happen in the UK.

Perhaps you could check up on the unis which yours has exchange agreements with and see if any are "better" than the others (although "better" is always relative).

Or perhaps your uni would allow you to do a placement abroad, rather than studying, which would give you the opportunity to earn some money and gain valuable working experience?

If you are a native English speaker, perhaps you could consider applying to be an English language assistant if your destination country has these. Your uni should be able to give you details of how this programme works. If you are a UK national, you would apply through the British Council: https://www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/english-language-assistants. Nationals of other English-speaking countries apply through a different route, so if that is your situation you would need to do some research to find out how to go about it.

In any case, I think it would definitely be worth speaking to the year abroad coordinator at your university and voicing your concerns. They should be able to tell you if there are any alternatives to simply studying abroad.

Your year abroad will be what you make of it; if you are determined to make it worthwhile then there is no reason why it shouldn't be.

I hope this helps.
Good luck. :smile: