Top 5 Things to Consider Before Studying Abroad

Studying abroad can be a wonderful supplement to a college education, but there are several important factors to consider before stepping foot on the plane.

1. Do the classes offered at the study abroad site fit into your course of study?

The last thing you want is to be forced to graduate a semester late because your courses abroad don't fit into your planned curriculum. If you realize that your desired study abroad location doesn't offer the courses you need, or doesn't give enough credit for the courses it does offer, try sending some emails to your school to see if arrangements can be made.

2. The Language Barrier

Some people go abroad to further their knowledge of a language they're already studying. Others go to a country only knowing how to say "hello" and "goodbye." The decision depends upon what you are trying to gain from the experience. While it is fully possible to "survive" in many countries simply by using English, not speaking the language will make it much more difficult to absorb the many customs and nuances of another culture.

3. The Social Scene

What may be a familiar social custom back at home could vary greatly in another country. Before deciding on a study abroad location, do some research on the country's nightlife, gender dynamics, and laws such as the drinking age or smoking in bars. You may find that the city goes to sleep too early for your liking, or that the country doesn't offer any socially liberal options fitting your preferences. The social experience can make or break a study abroad trip, so it's important to do your research beforehand.

4. Food

While it may seem to some like a non-issue, the cuisine in your country of choice can have a serious impact on your enjoyment while abroad. If you've just spend a year keeping off – or working off – the "Freshman 15," the last thing you want is to gain it all back in a country whose eating habits don't quite encourage a healthy lifestyle. Also, many countries don't make it easy on vegetarians, vegans, people with food allergies, or those who eat Kosher. You can learn a lot about a culture through its food; you won't want to have to avoid the cuisine entirely because of dietary restrictions.

5. The Exchange Rate

Studying abroad can be an extremely expensive ordeal, and it's important to think in advance about the cost of living in your new, temporary home. If items such as toothpaste, soap, or even food cost twice as much as they do in your own country, can you see yourself paying these prices for several months? Your trip abroad shouldn't force you to have to take out a loan later on; there are certainly cheaper locations in which to study that will be just as fun and fulfilling.

Author: Lily Faden

Schools Need to Teach New Methods, Focus on Active Learning

Schools are renowned for training well-prepared students who excel in exams, to produce more self-motivated and critical thinkers. The curriculum has been cut, new teaching methods introduced and change are under way to fine-tune methods for assessing students and ranking schools. Teachers around the world are united in their goal to send students from cocooned classroom environments carrying with them the highest hopes of fulfilment in the outside world.

But how best to achieve that aim?

It is generally accepted that the higher the level qualification, the higher the likelihood of today's students becoming tomorrow's success stories. But to first progress to universities or college, and then flourish at tertiary level, high school students must steer-or be steered-through tough years of laying appropriate educational foundations.

For instance, in South Korea, active participation in lessons is a new experience for grade-nine students at Seoul muddle school. They are more used to being spoon-fed as they prepare top advance the following year into 36 months of high pressure learning for university.

In order to avoid the rote-learning path by leading students in new style English lessons where students given a scenario, then related assignments. The exercise was part of the new-style English lessons. The students are given a scenario at the beginning of the class. Liked the Sars situation and they take it from there, working on various assignments related to it that involve writing, oral presentations, research and constructing props. They came up with a rap, wrote a song to be dedicated on radio to the medical staff, and set up a websites , which allows students to pen their gratitude.

The active methods allows them to see how they can apply what they learn and cut across several subjects. In the thank-you assignment, they practized not only English, but also music, ICT, and art and craft. Students expanded their vocabulary and worked on sentence structure when they were forced to use standard English in their rap and song. They learnt music when they had to harmonize the song they composed. Students also drew colorful charts, so their classmates could follow the lyrics as they sang. When they had the task of setting up a tour agency, they learnt the basics of starting a business and some of the problems businessmen face, such as how to attract customers when your business is hit by heavy storms.

Previously, each class was divided into groups, and each worked on one aspect of a project , like the research, writing and presentation. The old methods was subject-based and done in isolation. The Storyline method, on the other hand, integrates what they have to cover with several activities, making it more enjoyable and fun. The best thing about storyline is that the children don't realize they're actually doing real work like comprehension because it's all built in. So they look forward to it and ask when the next topic is coming along when it ends.

Author: YOKE FONG
To observe good practice, exchange ideas and sharing knowledge.

High School Scholarship – Find The Suitable One

If you are a parent and you find that due to financial crisis you are unable to pay the school fees or meet educational expenses of your child's high school, opt for high school scholarship. You must keep in mind that scholarships are out there for all types of students and your child will also be eligible and fulfill the requirements for one or the other scholarship program. If you wish to send him to college you will find that college expenses are extremely high and unaffordable for average earning parents. In fact, scholarships are the best way of funding for your child's higher education.

However, you have to be prepared for the long and time taking search process. It is a simple logic here. Since you need free financial aid and at the same time you want your child to win the award money too, you will have to invest more than enough time to find the most suitable scholarship programs. Make sure the scholarship money is sufficient to fulfill your child's needs and your child abilities match with the requirements set for that scholarship program.

Most often parents do not know how to begin the search for suitable high school scholarship for their child. The first and the best place to start with is the financial aid office of the college in which your child is expecting to attend. Do not approach only one college, you must have at least three levels of preferences so that if by any reasons your child is not accepted in one college, he will be able to get admission in the college of second or third preferences. The guidance counselor might turn out to be extremely helpful here.

Take help from Internet where you will find widest variety of options available. Free scholarship search engines are also there for your assistance. Search through the site and find a scholarship that suits your child. If children of any of your friend or colleague had received the scholarship, ask them about the high school scholarship and get an idea about how to apply for it successfully.

Author: Carl Evangelista