EliHopeful07

That sounds lovely. I must convince my parents to go to one of those scenic touristy spots (beaches, etc.) when we go to India. They're natives so we never seem to go anywhere for sightseeing or relaxation like traditional tourists. Of course, there is charm in seeing the hidden-away or everyday hotspots of the natives, as well.

interesteddad

qwilde:

I missed the meaning of your question about "petitioning". That would only be necessary if your college had not already recognized the program. I don't think that would be a common occurrence based on the list of schools that have sent students. If it were, I don't think it would be difficult program to get college approval for. Swarthmore, for example, loves the IHP programs. Doing homestays in Buenos Aires, Beijing, Shaghai, and India while studying urban, political, and social issues impacting each city is not a tough sell in terms of educational value.

Starting next year, the IHP programs are going to be offered under the umbrella of the SIT programs based in Vermont. SIT programs are also on many college's approved lists.

qwilde

Thank you, for the information interesteddad. You have sparked my interest and curiosity. I have lived all around the world and would like to continue my acculturation while attending University. I want to spend a semester in Japan, but the accounts of your daughter's globetrotting expeditions have compelled me to also consider a program at IHP. I'm slightly worried about the expense though, as I will be putting myself through college. Is it extremely expensive? I perused over the Boston University's cost sheets and although it seemed expensive it is equivalent, if not cheaper, than the regular tuition that I will have to pay at private universities.

interesteddad

The bigger group of students from my daughter's group went to Goa for the weekend. My daughter had heard Mini's evaluation of Goa and was looking for something a little more off the beaten path. So she and five friends went to Varkala and stayed in bamboo huts instead of a cheap tourist hotel in crowded Goa. Comparing notes with the other students, it sounds like she got the better end of that deal. (Thanks Mini!).

They had great advice -- both from 25 kids armed with guidebooks and from local contacts in each country. For vacation in Argentina, they went to Mendoza in the foothills of the Andes where somebody had tracked down the perfect youth hostel for a college kids' vacation -- winery tours, horseback riding, paragliding in the daytime, bar-b-q beef and beer at night.

They were doing the standard touristy stuff (Great Wall, etc.) on their regular weekends. In each country, a group of students was assigned to work with the local country coordinators and present the must see touristy stuff. Sometimes, a small group would take off on a Saturdya alone. Other times, they would charter a bus for a larger group. Other site visits (Nike factory, shanty towns, landfills, architects, government offices, etc.) during the week. For example, they got a presentation and tour of the Pudong business district from a Shanghai government planning official. Or a tour of Beijing's new financial district and the soon to open Ritz Carleton hotel on another day. Those kinds of site visits were four for five days a week.

Sometimes they were organized thematically. Half the students spent several days with the unofficial "Carteneros" recyling effort in Buenos Aires, while the other half toured the official landfills and waste treatment facilities. Then, they compared notes in joint presentations to the entire group.

interesteddad

gwilde:

My daughter said that a signficant number of students on her trip were internationals or Americans who had lived abroad. For example, one American student had grown up in Tokyo. Another was the daughter of a career US diplomat. The two Harvard students were both internationals: one from Bulgaria, one from Cyprus.

Cost:

The program fee is essentially the same as the sticker price (tuition, room, board, and fees) for a semester at a hoity-toit college -- $22,000. On top of that is "walkin' around money" (my daughter said she spent about $2,000 for incidentals -- entertainment, going out, local transportation, lunches, vacations, sightseeing, shopping, etc.) The only signficant items not covered by the program are local US airfare to and from NYC, the cost of immunizations and visa, and the cost of vacations/extra travel in each country (she had a week's vacation in Argentina).

In real terms, it really depends on the deal you have with your home college. At Swarthmore, we just continued exactly the same payments to the school (including financial aid). Swarthmore wrote all of the checks to the program and sent my daughter a check for $500 to defray some of the "walkin' around" expense. So it was pretty much a wash from our end. But, if you are attending a school that costs half of what Swarthmore costs, then obviously the equation could change dramatically.

qwilde

Yes, my step-father was American DOD.

I'm sure it is quite easy to spend "walkin' around money" while studying abroad. Yes, $22,000 would be approximately the same as the tuition at some of the schools I have applied to- BU, NYU, and GWU. I have had most of the requisite immunizations quite a few times and I am British citizen, so I can study anywhere in Europe and I believe, though I could be wrong, the commonwealth states without a visa. I only hope that whatever college I attend is as generous as Swathmore. Thanks, again for your input.

interesteddad

There are pluses and minuses to the way Swarthmore handles study abroad payments. It's fantastic for students with hefty financial aid. The aid continues and there are no considerations about the cost of the study abroad program.

On the other hand, if you are a full-fare customer looking at a relatively inexpensive study abroad program, you get killed...as in paying Swarthmore $22k for a $15k study abroad program. Basically, Swarthmore was quite upfront about their rationale when they switched to this fee structure -- they are socking it to wealthier students in order to subsidize study abroad for needier students.

For the most part, the really top study abroad programs are priced at the going rate for a semester in the United States, so it works out.

anxiousmom

Rice U has students pay for study abroad directly; those with F.A. get checks cut from Rice directly to the students -so "full-fare" parents can pay just the cost of the SA program, which is often cheaper than college. And, YEA!!!! DD arrived home safely from Peru and Chile, after having walked the Inca Trail and visited Machu Picchu with a friend, visited numerous cities, deserts etc., rode various buses for trips lasting up to 24-hours , and successfully navigated a 5-month visit that included 3 foreign countries, and direct enrollment in foreign university. (She made "A's" in those classes, too! ) A stolen wallet was the only major problem. Sigh. It's great to have her back. She had a problem at first finding the English words for some things, but now she's back to jabbering like a native.

interesteddad

That's fairly typical (and Rice's administrative fee is lower than most.)

That system is the most advantageous for full-fare customers with plenty of discretionary cash to pay deposits, etc. However, it may be the least attractive for lower-income need based aid students and may tend to reduce the participation in study abroad programs by this group.

Like everything else in college finances, it really all boils down to individual circumstances.

The payment approach does tend to influence program choices. For example, Swarthmore's system encourages looking at pricier travel abroad options -- just like you would be more likely to order the lobster instead of salisbury steak from a fixed price restaurant menu. My daughter looked at one lower cost program that was considerably less expensive than a semester at her college. We kicked around the idea of her simply taking a semester off to do the program without transfering any credits.

anxiousmom

I've heard of people doing that. DD took her 5-months in Chile through IES, which was substantially cheaper than full-pay at Rice - but far cheaper still would have been a direct enrollment program for foreign exchange students through the Chilean university itself. If she decides to go back, or to another country, she will probably do that. I don't begrudge the extra money for the program though; the extra money for IES goes to pay 6 or 7 fulltime employees who organize trips, internships, help find lodgings, liason with the participating universities, etc.etc. Savy kids may not need this "support" and can find ways to get the same education much cheaper.

kathiep

Anxiousmom, good to hear that your daughter made it back safe and sound from Peru and Chile. My daughter (the one who posted briefly about her study abroad in Peru last Spring) took a winter break trip to England and Kenya. She got home just before Christmas and is ready for the next adventure.

BTW, my daughters study abroad cost us all of $200. Her college tuition and Room and Board payments are swapped straight up. With her college the study abroads are done with their own professors who travel with the students. She has a friend who is in New Zealand this quarter with the Enviornmental Studies major students and her theatre majors friends were in London last quarter.

anxiousmom

I guess that Dd's cost us $250, over and above what we would have paid if she had spent a semester at Rice. (We get financial aid- so the cost of the study abroad program is basically irrelevent.) Is that what you meant? I'm confused... And yes, we are very happy to have her home for a whole 12 days before she heads back to school. I'll have to see if I can track down your daughter's Peru post!