Foreign Exchange program

DermotDude

Just pondering what itd cost me to go to the USA for third year between travel, living and miscellaneous expenses?
(Bdw im not rich..poor as ****)
Also i am doing chemical engineering so if anybody knows whats the story with 3rdyear abroad??

El Siglo

DermotDude wrote: »

Just pondering what itd cost me to go to the USA for third year between travel, living and miscellaneous expenses?
(Bdw im not rich..poor as ****)
Also i am doing chemical engineering so if anybody knows whats the story with 3rdyear abroad??

Fucking expensive that's the story. I'd stick to Europe if I were you. I know a chap that did a year in California, but he's fairly well off anyway and it still was pretty expensive for him to go.

CokaColumbo

Went to the Erasmus/International exchange information meeting last week and the girl said that a year outside of Europe will set you back anywhere between €10,000-€13,000.

If your GPA is high enough, you may be able to get a scholarship to Canada though. Your best bet is to go to one of the info. meetings or to contact your exchange co-ordinator or whatever they're called.

ColmDawson

I went to the talk on International Exchange with Canada today. They said it'd be about €8,500 to live there for two semesters.

CokaColumbo

ColmDawson wrote: »

I went to the talk on International Exchange with Canada today. They said it'd be about €8,500 to live there for two semesters.

Yeah I went to it also. The €8,500 was a welcome surprise after what we were told on the Wednesday talk. Also, they said that there are good part-time employment opportunities for international students on campus.

HavingCrack

Within the EU, you're probably looking at around €9,000 I'd guess (they say €6,000- €8,000 but I'd say its higher than that). The USA would be closer to around 12,000-15,000 I think.

If you only speak English the only EU countries open to you are Netherlands, Belgium and parts of Germany and Italy I think. Even if you're studying another language the terms used to college courses would be very technical.

It's an awful lot of money for something thats a bit of a waste of time and often doesn't overlap at all with your UCD course(just my opinion, I know lots of people who loved it). If you really want to study abroad maybe hold on and apply to do a Masters in the the US when you're finished as an undergraduate?

Definately go to the talks the International Office give to see is Erasmus for you though.

El Siglo

ColmDawson wrote: »

I went to the talk on International Exchange with Canada today. They said it'd be about €8,500 to live there for two semesters.

CokaColumbo wrote: »

Yeah I went to it also. The €8,500 was a welcome surprise after what we were told on the Wednesday talk. Also, they said that there are good part-time employment opportunities for international students on campus.

What's the line Virgil used? Oh yeh; "Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" (I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts). No matter what they tell you about how much it will cost, it always costs more. I'd round that figure up. Think about, factor in; rent, transportation (at least three flights in the year), food, utilities, holidays and sessions etc... You can bet it's going to cost somewhere in the region of €10,000 to €12,000 for Canada. Also, there might be good part-time opportunities available but given the work load of North American universities and given the level of immigrants from Ireland to Canada in the last year or two, it'd be hard going getting a job.

Personally, the whole erasmus thing and going abroad in the undergrad is great and all but it's expensive and not worth the hassle. Would it not be better to save the money for doing a postgrad or CELTA course and then travelling? A CELTA course costs in the region of €2,000 (course + books etc), it's one month and then you can literally go anywhere with it.

The one thing with going away for a year which really put me off it;
You still have to come back to UCD.

Offside

Has anybody who applied for University of California heard back yet?

RayCarley

Offside wrote: »

Has anybody who applied for University of California heard back yet?

Nope... they must be a bit delayed after all the snow before Christmas. I'd say you'll hear next week.

Offside

RayCarley wrote: »

Nope... they must be a bit delayed after all the snow before Christmas. I'd say you'll hear next week.

Yeah I'm gonna email them if I haven't heard by wednesday, just worried they might only email the successful applicants, need to find out so I can get cracking on deciding my top 10 before the next deadline if I'm not in Cali.

CokaColumbo

El Siglo wrote: »

What's the line Virgil used? Oh yeh; "Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" (I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts). No matter what they tell you about how much it will cost, it always costs more. I'd round that figure up. Think about, factor in; rent, transportation (at least three flights in the year), food, utilities, holidays and sessions etc... You can bet it's going to cost somewhere in the region of €10,000 to €12,000 for Canada. Also, there might be good part-time opportunities available but given the work load of North American universities and given the level of immigrants from Ireland to Canada in the last year or two, it'd be hard going getting a job.

Personally, the whole erasmus thing and going abroad in the undergrad is great and all but it's expensive and not worth the hassle. Would it not be better to save the money for doing a postgrad or CELTA course and then travelling? A CELTA course costs in the region of €2,000 (course + books etc), it's one month and then you can literally go anywhere with it.

The one thing with going away for a year which really put me off it;
You still have to come back to UCD.

Literally everybody I've talked to who has studied abroad as part of erasmus/international exchange has said that it was the best decision that they'd made and that their year abroad was the best one of their lives.

Sefirah

El Siglo wrote: »

You still have to come back to UCD.

E.x.a.c.t.l.y
I wouldn't even consider doing a year abroad, for the simple fact that you've got to return home again afterwards. I'm sure it's great craic and all, but... some things can wait til after college, when a person's (hopefully!!) in a more financially sound state to be able to afford to live there. Something I also experienced after taking time out from college (or rather choosing the wrong course in first year, dropping out and going travelling instead) is that it's simply depressing coming home after you're become accustomed to the independence and excitement of being somewhere new. The vast majority of courses are only 3/4 years -- get it done, travel during the crazily long summer holidays and save money so that you can go wherever you want when you graduate

CokaColumbo

Not only should everybody try and go on an International Exchange for the immeasurable personal benefits the experience provides, if you are doing a BA, for example, a year abroad turns that BA into a BA International, which means that your degree isn't entirely worthless. Employers, invariably, are attracted to those who have international experience aside from those who have spent a couple of months sight seeing in between UCD semesters.

HavingCrack

CokaColumbo wrote: »

Not only should everybody try and go on an International Exchange for the immeasurable personal benefits the experience provides, if you are doing a BA, for example, a year abroad turns that BA into a BA International, which means that your degree isn't entirely worthless. Employers, invariably, are attracted to those who have international experience aside from those who have spent a couple of months sight seeing in between UCD semesters.

I just disagree with you. I have no real interest in doing an extra year abroad and the expense that will occur when I could be saving for a masters. Different strokes for different folks though.